


Gem nights: from Earth to beyond

by Darkspirit



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: AUs prompts, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Bad Ending, Developing Relationship, Episode-related prompts, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Minor Character Death, Multi, Panic Attack, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Canon, Shipping, Steven needs therapy, crossovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 46
Words: 43,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27782098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkspirit/pseuds/Darkspirit
Summary: How a single story can transform into something bigger or newer?Let's find out!Prompts open.
Relationships: Amethyst/Pearl, Blue Diamond & Pink Diamond & White Diamond & Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond & Spinel & White Diamond & Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond & Steven Universe & White Diamond & Yellow Diamond, Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Crystal Gems & Steven Universe, Greg Universe & Steven Universe, Lapis Lazuli/Peridot, Pearl/Bismuth, Pearl/Pink Diamond, Pearl/Volleyball, Rose Quartz/Greg Universe, Spinel & Steven Universe, Steven Universe & Everyone, Steven Universe/Connie Maheswaran, peridot/amethyst
Comments: 86
Kudos: 41





	1. Three gems and a baby AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl rips Steven’s gem out of his belly almost killing him and Greg takes him and Pink Steven far away from the Gems and Beach City to take care of them.  
> This prompt is inspired by a clip of Boejack Horseman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first time trying prompts-like fanfic.  
> The rules are these ones:  
> 1\. One day a prompt of mine, the next day I make a prompt of yours. Interspersed.  
> 2\. Any ship is accepted, except StevenXgem.  
> 3\. Your prompt can be long and divided into parts, but those parts will be interspersed with my prompts.  
> 4\. Crossover prompts can be with your favorite shows and/or characters.  
> 5\. Have fun!

"Greg, I know you don't want anything to do with me anymore, but I just want you to know that what I did was insanely stupid and I'm sorry."

"So, this is an apology."

"Yes, it is."

"Ok, I don't forgive you."

"Greg, didn't you hear me? I said--"

"Yeah, I heard it, and I'm telling you again that I do not forgive you."

"That is an understandable reaction after the events that transpired that day, but I think that at least, for Steven's wellbeing, you--"

"No! I am NOT gonna kneel before you and give you closure. You don't deserve that. What you deserve is live with the shit you've done for the rest of your life and accept the fact it will never, ever be ok."

"I don't need you to remind me that things have changed dramatically because of my actions, but as a way to better the situation maybe--"

"Pearl, be realistic. You three kidnapped my son and then you almost killed him. He was dying. Nothing you do can make this better. And I won't pat your pack and tell you 'There, there', so YOU can feel better."

"You have to know that I didn't hold anything against Steven!"

"Oh sure, you didn't. And then why didn't you stop yourself, uh? Seriously, a single visit to my son and you acted this way."

"It was grief and pressure. I didn't mean to--"

"Do you have any idea of how much it hurt that betrayal? I'm estranged from my family, I have nobody and it was a challenge to take care of Steven. I knew you three and I had issues because Rose was gone, but having to almost lose my son because of you?"

"If you haven't fulfilled Rose’s wishes of having a baby, none of this would've happened, you know?! It wasn't supposed to end up like this! Rose did whatever she wanted, but it didn't mean you have to bend over backward for her forever. Why though?! Why?! Just because you wanted to spite me?! And now you're telling ME that I am all to blame when you should've told her no in having children! Heck, if you at least had been more careful about it, Rose would still be here and you wouldn't have to deal with caring for a child knowing your life is too disorganized to take care of yourself!"

"Pearl, you can't force someone to love you the way you want them. If Rose chose me, then you have to respect that and move on! Besides, as much as it hurts me that you still see me as a mess, things are different now. I'm finally doing fine. My son and I are having a good life. What I hoped back then, however, was that you, Garnet, and Amethyst became Steven's friends. But then you almost killed him, and I will NEVER forgive you for that. Now get the FUCK out of my house!"

Pearl was in shock at how things ended up. But if she couldn't take care of Steven, of what was left of Rose, then what? How life could go on after that? 

"No... No! This can't be! You can't take this away from me!"

"I'm not taking anything! I just don't want you in Steven’s life anymore."

"That's the point! What am I going to do now? Everything and everyone has fallen apart since that day! Garnet unfused, Ruby and Sapphire are gone, Amethyst is stars-knows-where! What am I supposed to do with all of that?! Are you expecting me to go back to the Temple and move on?! Without Rose I don't know what to do, Greg! But maybe if I--"

"You will NOT use my son as a prop to have a new purpose, Pearl! I'm warning you! You have done too much damage with--"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO RUINED MY LIFE!!" Pearl grabbed him harshly by the neck of his sweater. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, NO ONE WOULD HAVE LEFT! EVERYONE DID BECAUSE OF YOU!!" She threw him to the wall of the house, then lifted him again, blinded by rage. 

"Hey, leave him alone!" Dough Maheswaran ran and pushed Pearl out of the way, separating her from Greg whom he helped to get up. "What the hell is wrong with you? You'd better leave now or else I call the police." 

"L-Leave now, Pearl. It's over." Greg got up weakly, massaging the oncoming bruises on his back. 

"It can't! You can't just appear in everyone's life, ruin everything, and then get the best of things while I'm suffering!" 

"Cut the crap, Pearl! Wanna know what's your problem? You maybe think of yourself as the oh-so-relatable victim of a tragedy, but the truth is that you're not. I even bet you would move on faster if you accept that you're nothing but a self-entitled jerk and a selfish coward who can't stand when things don't go her way and lashes out at anyone who crosses her path. That’s you, Pearl. Just accept it."

Pearl glowered at him. "Talking to you was a mistake. I don't even know why I came here."

"No. You do." Greg enters the house and closes the door harshly. 


	2. Face the consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Suicide

He was finally here, back in the exact time everything happened. Earth, 6000 years ago when Crystal Gems and Homeworld were at war.

It was his time to put a stop to this nonsense before everything happened as it did and he went back to do what people expected him to do.

He checked his resources: the Diamond Communicator was with him, it had the message the Diamonds needed to see. Good idea for him to appear in Homeworld, because that would make his job easier.

He looked for Blue Diamond’s Palace. She was his best option to make this work. Getting there was difficult though; he couldn't use his powers or else attention would gather and he might get caught.

It took long and stressful minutes of stealth, carefulness, and shapeshifting, but finally he found the entrance guarded by two Blue Citrines. He threw the Diamond Communicator with the little note in gem-ish that said 'Important message about the Gem War'.

Both Citrines were shocked after catching the object and much more after reading the note, calling Blue Pearl immediately.

He followed them from the shadows.

"What is going on, Pearl?" Blue Diamond’s serious voice could be heard from her throne room.

"My Diamond, this is important. The two Citrine guards told me a Diamond Communicator with a message on it was thrown towards them. The note says there is relevant information about the war."

"Are you saying someone threw at my guards a very delicate artifact that only royalty can use?" Blue couldn't believe it. This was some kind of sick joke or a way to distract her from her duties. Then a realization crossed her mind and she sighed, annoyed. "Pink. Of course, why not? Pearl, give me the Communicator." her servant obeyed. "I hope this isn't another begging from her about leaving that planet alone or one of her nonsensical games."

Blue turned on the Communicator and with just some minutes of watching what Pink and Pearl were planning to do, her face contorted in rage and indignation.

Everything happened so fast after that. Blue called Yellow and White for an urgent meeting, informing them about the message in the Diamond Communicator and showing them the images. The other two were as shocked as her and also furious. They went immediately to Earth to end the war personally.

When the three other matriarchs or Homeworld showed the contents of the message to both Crystal and Homeworld Gems, pandemonium erupted in a matter of seconds.

The Crystal Gems were enraged, the betrayal and lies revealed were strong enough for a big part of them to want to be part of Homeworld hierarchy again. The others, feeling lost, couldn't decide if to keep fighting or run away to not deal with the war. Homeworld gems started to look for Pink to get answers, some explanation, especially the gems who were part of her army and entourage. Yellow Diamond ordered immediately the loyalists to bubble all the rebels for they would be executed in Homeworld as the law stated. Meanwhile, the three Diamonds looked for Pink and Pearl, finding them amidst all the chaos. Both gems tried to escape in vain, totally in disbelief that all their plans and the secrets were put into light and they didn't know who did this.

The war ended in a matter of hours. Many rebels deserted and ran away, many pleaded to work under the Diamonds again but were shattered, the rest were bubbled after a long, painful fight. Pink was put in a prison cell inside Yellow's armship, crying for her fellow sisters to stop to no avail. The other Diamonds deemed the Earth unfit to be a colony and forbid Pink to be part of any kind of royalty business.

Steven watched how the three Diamonds ships left the planet alongside the other warships. Then he saw his body disintegrating slowly, a product of him changing the timeline. The hybrid smiled in utter relief. 

He didn't know what would happen to Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, or the other rebels who could escape, but he couldn't care less. He might have felt bad or remorseful even, but instead, his whole body and mind were bathed by a rush of happiness. The first one after a long time of numbness.

Yeah, he was happy.

No more of trying to be Pink, no more of fixing her mistakes, no more trauma and pain, no more being the Gems therapist, no more of dealing with problems that weren't his. He had gotten rid of all that crap.

No amount of therapy was able to give him the solution, but he found it. And he was ecstatic.

At the last moments of his existence, his smile grew bigger, feeling lighter and freer than ever before. 


	3. Red and Pink AU: The favorite one

Cycles could pass faster or slower than any day, many things would change but one would remain the same: that she would never surpass her twin sister.

Since she had memory, both Pink and Red were given love and praises, but still, out of the two, Red was the one who always achieved great things.

The most organized colonies? That was Red. The strongest gems for an army? Red thought of that. Every way to solve a problem? She was a step ahead of everyone.

Blue, Yellow, and White never stopped to be impressed with her, saying how proud they were that she learned so quickly, that she took her duties seriously.

Pink, on the other hand, was another story. Exuberant, childish, playful, impulsive, reckless. She might have a lot of energy, but that was the only thing they could give her credit for. Every time she tried something, her fellow sisters scolded her with 'Pink, you're not ready yet' or 'Pink, this is not a game. Behave'. Like, what gives?! She was as much of a Diamond as them, sure she wasn't as tall and imposing as any of them, not even Red, but still, whenever they had a meeting, her sister was invited, expected to be there. Meanwhile, Pink had to stay in her room because she was too far away from the league of those issues.

As if she had nothing to say! She had a LOT to say, mind you!

But no! Red got the invitations, always. Stars, White -of the three older Diamonds- seemed to be more lenient with her and gave her some freedom to do as she pleased because 'Red has surpassed my expectations, Starlight. One day you will too'. Yeah, right. But White was only trying to shut her up with hollow promises and sickening sweet words, instead of giving her a chance.

Yellow was fierce, a powerful commander; Blue was diplomatic and made sophisticated strategies. They had made big contributions to the gempire, but Red got all the praise, even from those two.

How Yellow and Blue couldn't be jealous of her was beyond Pink’s understanding.

Maybe because Red was a genius. Blue never stopped to call her that, and Yellow and White agreed. Because of Red, Homeworld's technology had advanced at an incredible rate. Many of her ideas and innovations had allowed the gems to colonize more efficiently. The weapons and security had also improved, every resource was used at its maximum potential.

Her sole presence was what the others said a Diamond should be.

Pink was the opposite. Whenever she was going to try something new, that plan was shut down because Blue, Yellow, and White didn’t think she would make the best of it or it would be just a game. Every time she wanted to prove herself, things ended up with fights and arguments between her and one of her fellow Diamonds. Every time she acted brashly or talked back, she was sent to the tower. 

_'Pink, you're a Diamond, behave like one.'_

_'Why can't you be like Red, Pink?'_

_'Red would've never let that happen, Pink.'_

_'Don't embarrass us, Pink. A Diamond never acts like that.'_

_'Take things more seriously, Pink. That's why Red has come so far.'_

_'Starlight, at least try to follow Red's example. It's not that difficult, isn't it?'_

Red, the perfect one. Red, the genius. Red, who always knew what to do. Red, the pride of the Diamonds. Red, who was destined to go places. 

Red this, Red that. Red, Red, Red! It was always Red! 

Stars, it was so nauseating! She would never reach her and show what she got. It would always be Pink, the childish. Pink, the immature. Pink, the embarrassment. Pink, a pretty face, and no contributions to the gempire. Pink without armies, ships, colonies, or even a fearless entourage. 

She was tired of that! Fed up! 

The little Diamond sighed inside the tower, after another harsh scolding from Blue and being put inside. She swore that one day if she had the chance, she would find a way to surpass her oh-so-excellent twin and show Yellow, Blue, and White how much of a Diamond she could be. 


	4. GF and SU crossover: The cellphone

Lee and Nate were the first ones who found it, beneath a dirty, abandoned Dondai whose owner didn't want anymore. There was no ID, no license, nothing to discover whether a man or a woman was the driver of the vehicle. However, the cellphone was there, left behind which was weird.

Did it fall from the guy's pocket? Did they throw it away? Were they hiding something? That must be, right? It couldn't be any other option.

There was also the fact that the car was in the middle of the forest, with wrappers, cans, and other leftovers of junk food. The steering wheel looked a bit out of shape as if the owner had had enough strength to bend it. There were also gashes on the co-pilot seat, did the owner bring with themself a pet or a wild animal?

Who knows.

But what Lee, Nate, and now Wendy, Tambry, Robbie, and Thompson did want to find out was the secrets in the cellphone, if their assumptions were right, of course.

Nate turned the device on and everyone waited for it to show the screen, the apps, and start to pick the first thing they deemed as suspicious.

The group of teenagers never expected to see the next images.

On the screen was a young man with an Elvis Presley-like hairstyle, a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and sandals. The background in which he was shown was a mix of dark red, coffee, and black. Nonetheless, the weirdest detail was his skin color. The man was neon pink, looking like a huge, shining letter someone would put on Las Vegas.

He was also smiling, but even the most oblivious person could tell the gesture lacked sincerity. His lips and eyes didn't agree on the emotion they were conveying, for the second ones shown a manic, desperate spark. Almost lunatic.

Everyone listened attentively, even with how disturbed they were feeling right now when the young man spoke:

"Steven's here to help. Steven's here to help. Steven's here to help. Steven's here to help. Steven, St-Steven help. Help. Hel-Steven helps. Help. Help. Steven. Helps Steven. Hel-Hel-Help St-Steven helps. Help Steven. Steven help. Steven help. Help. Steven."

The screen glitched too many times with the words 'Steven' and 'help' to start to sound warped and twisted. 

Just like that, in a matter of seconds, Thompson grabbed the device, threw it to the ground, and crushed it with his foot, terror coursing through his veins. The rest of the group, except Wendy, complained at him due to his reaction while the scared teenager explained himself in a frenzy.

Meanwhile, the redhead young woman had a single question repeating itself on her mind: what the fuck was that? 


	5. Beach Summer Fun Buddies Downfall AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven and Lapis' friendship ends in the worst way due to her hatred against Jasper.  
> For SuperPWNAGETHOMAS

"I don't get it! After all the terrible things she has done to you and you still befriended her?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

He didn't want old grudges to destroy this.

"I told you, Lapis! Jasper has changed. It's not that I have forgotten what she has done, but everyone deserves a second chance, right?"

Of course, Steven knew that Jasper and Lapis were never going to make up with each other and try to be civil, but the least Lapis could do is understand his decisions.

"How can you say that and let her be?! Don't you see it?! She is just pretending to be a new gem for you to let down your guard!"

Steven sighed, suppressing his increasing frustration. He didn't know what else to say to Lapis for her to not make him back down on his choice.

Ever since he decided to befriend Jasper, things between him and Lapis became tense. Both gems weren't in the mood for a heart-to-heart, to attempt to be open with the other's point of view. Steven only wanted to stop Jasper to isolate herself and start a new, better life.

After Little Homeworld was finished, the hybrid thought convincing the war veteran to give Era 3 and Earth a chance would help her to move on from many bomb secrets that had left her lost and distraught, especially Pink being Rose Quartz all along. At first, it was difficult and a bit messy, but with perseverance, the quartz accepted Steven's help and grew fond of him.

The Crystal Gems were surprised and worried, Steven couldn't blame them. Thankfully, they trusted him enough with this as long as he was careful which paid them off because Jasper started showing great respect and appreciation to the kid.

However, the only one who didn't like that friendship was Lapis. The disagreement was ok for Steven, even when he wished his blue gem friend and Jasper to reconcile and be on better terms with each other.

Unfortunately, it escalated into arguments that were wearing his patience off.

Like, sure, as much as it hurt him if Lapis and Jasper preferred to be enemies, he would have to respect that. But watching how precarious and unstable his friendship with Lapis was getting was another story.

And to make it worse, his reservoir of reasons and ideas to save his relationship was empty.

He didn't know what to do!

"You shouldn't waste your time with her, Steven. Just get rid of her, forget her! Why giving her a chance?!"

"Because everyone deserves a second chance! If I didn't give up on you, then there is no reason to give up on her. Besides, this is MY life, I can decide who can be my friend and who can't! So leave it!" 

"No! You can't be serious to simply forgive such a rotten--!"

"I said LEAVE IT!" Unconsciously, Steven's shield was summoned, covered in spikes, and it expanded at such a speed that it hit Lapis, sending her flying to a building some meters away from them.

After that, chaos began. The feelings between the hybrid and the ex terraformer exploded in a ferocious battle.

Huge waves of the sea and sharp icicles inundated the area while Steven's powers reach their highest peak giving him super speed and immeasurable strength. Many buildings ended up in ruins and after what seemed an eternity there was a tie, but with a somber resolution.

"It's over, Steven. I'm not your friend anymore." And just like that, Lapis flew away, leaving the hybrid hurt and dumb stroke.

At first, no one -included him- could believe what had transpired that day. Garnet used her future vision as Steven’s request to find out if things would get better, but all she saw was heartbreak.

Amethyst and Pearl were barely restraining themselves to give the waterbender a piece of their minds because of the destruction and hurting Steven.

Meanwhile, Greg sat with his son and talked with him in private, listening to the teenager's frustrations and fears over not being Lapis' friend anymore.

"Don't worry, Schtu-ball. Disagreements between friends sometimes can get a little...rocky. No pun intended, by the way. But if you two give yourselves time to cool off, I bet she will apologize and sort things out with you."

"I don't know, dad. I mean, you should've seen her face. She was serious about this. What if there is no way to fix this?"

"Lapis may give you the cold treatment because when you're mad at someone, you'd rather ignore them than being in contact with them, as petty as that sounds. But just give both of you time, ok? This day has been crazy, what you deserve right now is a good rest."

Steven wished Dad's words had become true. With all his heart. Though despite the kindness and optimism of the man, the situation didn’t improve one bit, it just got worse.

Lapis not only treated Steven with utter disdain, pretending he didn't exist at all, but she also made sure that he wasn't part of anything related to the Crystal Gems, even when he had put a lot of effort into it.

The Crystal Gem web page and the music box art stopped having his name on them. His participation in both activities was cut short. It was more than an 'Ouch, that hurt', it was insulting. The Gems' feelings towards Lapis went from angry to murderous, but Steven prevented another fight between them. He had enough of fights that destroyed friendships, thank you very much.

But her cold and harsh demeanor against him went beyond that. Lapis even banned Steven from attending the Crystal Gem concert, no matter how much he had wanted to see his friends play the day of the event.

Days of crying and desolation became a blur for him, a painfully slow blur.

Connie, the Gems, and Greg took turns to talk to him, to reassure the boy as much as they could that this mess wasn't his fault at all, that Lapis was the only responsible.

Still, the hybrid felt miserable. He could understand that Lapis and Jasper had a very chaotic and toxic history, but the fact that that became the reason Lapis didn't want anything to do with Steven anymore? It was too much. He felt guilty and remorseful for not planning things better, for not thinking how his friendship with Jasper could affect his relationship with Lapis.

Still, his family and friends kept trying to cheer him up, always saying that he shouldn't let her get the best of him.

"Steven, your choices in friendship are yours and yours only. If Lapis wasn't ok with them, that's her problem. She brought this to herself, not you. She is the one who couldn't move on, but you still can. Jasper and you are still friends. You have me, your dad, the Gems, and everyone else at your side. If Lapis decided to remove herself from your life because of her resentment and hatred against Jasper, it's her fault. Don't let that destroy what you still have."

Connie's wise words resonated in him, and as much as it pained Steven to admit it, she was right. Lapis ruined their friendship because of her hatred. She couldn't move on.

He wasn't going to end up like her. So, with hard work and his loved ones' support, he turned that page and kept moving.

He helped with the classes in Little Homeschool, befriended new gems, he never stopped hanging out with Jasper. And yeah, at first it was hard. Sometimes, when he watched the ocean or some old leaves on the grass, his mind went back to those sweet memories when Lapis and him bonded and laughed as if there was no tomorrow. But the past is the past, you can treasure it, but you can't let it get you stuck in the same place forever.

Some friendships last more than a lifetime, others ended up broken and bitter due to old grudges. That was life.

Thankfully, though, even when Lapis kept giving him the cold shoulder, Steven knew he wasn't alone.

With the people who truly respected his choices and care about him, the hybrid teenager could finally move on.


	6. SU the Movie AU: Morganite's scheme

For being a stoic and serious gem, Morganite was feeling a bit excited about this plan. She never understood why people had to waste their time with such useless emotions like excitement, ecstasy, and euphoria. However, while waiting for Aquamarine and Ruby to come back to the base, her gemstone core shivered pleasantly imagining Pink’s heir, Steven Universe, watching helplessly how all his work put in Era 3 fell apart once the Era 1 aristocracy and the military took over every center of power of every dismantled colony.

And the Diamonds? Well, If they were so weak-willed to let a hybrid child change their minds and throw away eons of hierarchy and development on an empire, then fine. No one would obey them anymore for the gems who knew their places would lead the gempire and return it to its former glory.

A little smile was painted on the little gem's face. All those insignificant values and ideals put by Steven Universe were received with open arms because the Diamonds thought it was time for a change. But foreign idealism couldn't last forever and rule over traditions. That would mean anarchy and disorder could have much more space to develop like how it was happening on Homeworld and every other colony. Off-colors could walk freely, fusion-loving gems could act without consequences, low-cast gems could interact with their superiors as if they were equals and try new things, freedom and equality were blabbered anywhere.

What a disaster! 

Morganite even bet her own gemstone that if Steven Universe wasn't mistaken as Pink Diamond and then revealed to be her heir, then none of this would've happened and Homeworld would still be in order with the perfect loyalists doing their duties and the defective ones being shattered as always. 

Fortunately, she had the solution to this. But first, allies were needed. After all, a single gem from Era 1 wouldn’t be enough to restore order and eliminate those nonsensical illusions.

Some gems didn't like this new era. Some powerful, some influential. And now, there would be a Spinel. But not any Spinel; it was Pink's. Who could have imagined? Pink discarded jester gem was able to defeat the three main Crystal Gems! And she even used a huge injector full of biopoison to get rid of the rebels.

This kind of power is what she needed to reach her goal, but first, there should be a meeting between her and Spinel. She just had to wait for Bluebird to come back with the jester gem. In the meanwhile, watching from the shadows how Steven Universe's home melted because of the biopoison would be a good distraction for her. 


	7. Let's say hello to Tiger's Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven and Jasper's friendship is carried to the next level: fusion.   
> For Where

If there was a topic Jasper considered a sore spot despite her previous power-lust, that was fusion.

Fusion for Jasper was a cheap trick that weaker gems used to be stronger, a mindset Garnet had found incredibly difficult to teach her it was wrong. Because yeah, Jasper had fused with Lapis for revenge and then forced a corrupted Crystal Gem to fuse with her to defeat Steven and his friends. There was a lot of emotional baggage, bigotry, and prejudice in that single concept: fusion.

Fortunately, Steven and his gem family helped her move on from the trauma that was Malachite and respect permafusions and gems who wanted to fuse with their significant ones.

She started learning that within fusion there was trust, honesty, and communication. That without those elements, only instability and bitterness were left.

And when Steven and she grew closer and made amends with each other, the idea of fusing with him as a symbol of reconciliation, development, and respect came to her mind, though there was a tiny, bitty, problem. 

Steven wasn't an ordinary hybrid.

Sure, a half-human half-gem hybrid was such an unprecedented mix that gems still found themselves astonished at Steven's existence.

The real inconvenient was that the kid was the son of no lesser gem, but of her deceased Diamond. He had inherited her powers, her shield, her gemstone. The mere idea of asking him if he wanted to fuse with her was the embodiment of disrespect.

And no matter how many times he fused with his human friend Connie or any of the Crystal Gems on the classes on Little Homeschool, Jasper knew the boy's trust was on them not on the warrior gem.

But, didn’t Steven trust her? Didn't Jasper trust him? Should she talk to him?

This was more complicated than she thought.

"Steven," the teenager greeted her with a smile when she called him. "I've been having trouble with something and I don't know if I will sound daring or disobedient if I ask you this. So, tell me if I upset you, and I'll leave."

"What are you talking about?" The hybrid raised an eyebrow, not understanding where this was going.

"We are friends, so, I want to fuse with you." Steven's shock was plastered all over his face. "I know this is sudden. If you don't want to, that's fine. Unlike the Crystal Gems and your human companion, I didn’t establish a good connection with you. I attacked you, I hurt your family, I almost killed you many times, I wanted to destroy you. But I've changed! So--"

"Hey, hey! Don't worry. I get it." His smile got a fond spark. "We have turned the page or left the past behind, whatever it suits you. And yeah, this is surprising, but I trust you, Jasp. So, what if we try? As long as you are comfortable, of course."

"I'd love to."

Both put themselves in their positions and started a hip hop dance at their own pace, in their own ways. Steven's movements were cheerful and creative while Jasper's looked like a robot trying to surpass a professional dancer. Still, when hybrid and warrior gem high-fived, their bodies shined, becoming a huge mass of light that started growing until it was 1 meter taller than Jasper.

The fusion had for arms, some of them with bluish spots. Two little horns were on their head; they were wearing a dark magenta jacket, jeans, and a mix of sandals and boots. Their hair was long and curvy, almost white except the points, black as night.

The name Tiger's Eye came to their mind and a confident smirk surfaced on their face. Their four eyes surveyed the area and their body much to their joy.

It felt fantastical! Phenomenal!

This was what fusion conveyed!

Not hatred, pain, or power-lust, but comradery and love.

_'Garnet was right. Fusion is more than a weapon, is more than two or more gems together. It is a lifetime experience!' Jasper mused, the weight of that truth ironically made her feel so light._

_'That’s right, Jasp. We're friends, we trust each other. And if we face challenges or disagreements, we'll overcome it all together.'_

_'Yeah, together.'_

"Together." Tiger's Eye was ecstatic. They couldn't wait to show themselves to the others, especially Garnet. She would be so happy, so proud. 

Oh, and the abilities and powers! They would have so much fun! 

The huge fusion laughed, excitement coursing through their immaterial veins before looking for the Gems. They had to see this. 


	8. Pre-The Future one-shot: There is no rush

"You know, Steven, I've felt the same way as you."

Lapis grabbed a slice of pizza and nibbled it slightly. The pizza was vegetarian, and this idea was kind of improvised, but that was better than freaking out like the others were doing right now because of how things were going.

Steven has been in such a storm-y mood for the last 2 weeks. At first, therapy was exhausting and sometimes rocky, though the sole idea of getting rid of his problems like the nightmares, the hopelessness, and the glowing and swelling gave him enough motivation to go through this.

However, his idea of a quick fix-it task was crushed at how recovery truly worked. Despite attending the appointments early, listening to his therapist closely, and applying all the techniques and tools given to him, nothing seemed to change.

Showing vulnerability to the Gems was still like climbing Everest without equipment; every time something about mom was brought up, his body glowed pink; he was so on edge that he felt as if his mind were in another time, a more terrifying and violent one.

That drove him into this pit hole. Not wanting to interact with anyone, sleeping almost all the time, irritated and numb, eating junk food or sometimes not eating at all, and always in his room.

Until Lapis barged in with a box of a vegetarian pizza in her arms along with some appetizers.

"What do you mean?" He asked while munching somberly his slice.

"You remember Navy, right?" Confused, the teenager nodded and Lapis continued. "I thought she had it all solved. That she knew what she was doing. Adapting to Earth, after what that twerp had been through, especially what we did to her, seemed so easy. I couldn't get it. And, as much as I hated to admit it, I was jealous of her. I wanted to see the Earth as my home without remembering the horrible things I suffered, but I felt as if I wasn't making strides, while Navy progressed too quickly."

"But she lied." Steven reminded her.

"Yeah, and that's the point. She wasn't adapting at all, she was pretending. Trying to move on takes a lot of time, letting things go takes work and time. You can't just expect a miracle in a matter of seconds. I learned that the hard way. Sometimes you’ll do fine, other times you’ll feel like crap, the rest maybe will be a relapse or in-between, but still, even when you don't see it, you're making progress."

"It doesn't seem like it. I don't feel like that and it's frustrating!"

"I know. I get it. You want a solution that goes straight to the point, not long and hard work, and after all you've been through and what you've done for everyone, you deserve it. But this journey is not a punishment, it's exhausting because if it weren't, what would you learn in the end?"

"I don't want to learn anything! I just asked for one measly thing: to be ok! To feel fine after shit, and fuck ups, and all the mess, especially when I became _Pinkzilla_." Steven spat resentfully, still remembering when Ronaldo posted various images of him as that monster on his blog, bombarded him with questions, and even tried to convince Mayor Nanefua to build a sort of fortress around the Beach House as a way to protect everyone and _'let Steven have his power issues, peacefully'_.

Thankfully, the Gems and Dad were considerate and thoughtful enough to berate Ronaldo and demand him to erase all of that content without causing a scene, though that also resulted in Mr. Fryman being so mad at his son's violation of someone's privacy that he not only kicked him out of the house with the ultimátum that if Ronaldo didn't _'overcome his obsessive attachment to weirdness'_ , he wouldn't be welcome back, also he told the Gems to get rid of his things. Of everything that was related to his blog, his conspirational theories, and the equipment he used to stalk people.

Steven didn’t know how to feel about that. Sure, Ronaldo hurt him because he wanted answers, but that didn’t mean being banished from home and have his belongings destroyed was fair.

_'Dude, he asked for this. Yeah, it was hard what happened to that guy, but come on, you've been through hell! You deserve a bit of peace and quiet, not the mountain of bullshit he brought to you.'_

Despite the guilt, Steven had to admit that Amethyst was right. Ronaldo was kicked out due to his actions. Regardless of the outcome, he hoped he was alright.

But the point was still the same, being fine seemed so unreachable for him and he didn't get it.

"Are you wondering if you did something wrong?" Lapis questioned, guessing in an instant his thoughts.

"I've screwed up a lot of times, and when I finally have a guide to do better, not even that works to make my life easier. It's like nothing works on me."

"Welcome to the club, Steven. But you have to know that it does. Your life will be filled with good things, but right now, you're in a..." She paused, evaluating what term was close enough to her ideas. "Well, this is a cleansing. You know what that is, right?" Steven nodded. "Then, what you should do is go through it, but don't rush it. I know it hurts, it's angsty and annoying, there is even fear and anxiety, but the goal of that is not watching you fall apart. The real goal is processing this, understanding why it's happening, and then find a solution for it. One thing at a time."

"You talk as if you knew what therapy is about."

"I did so many horrible things and was hurt many times. Sometimes I have doubts about myself, If I'm going to let negative feelings take over me, or If I'm going to learn something new and get it right. That's what this journey is about, Steven. So, there shouldn't be a rush. No one is going to be disappointed if you take too long, you need to do this slowly."

"Everyone is freaking out. If you saw how the Gems and Dad are acting when I'm around, you'd understand."

"They are worried because they love you. And yeah, it's bothersome, but that's their problem, Steven. Recover at your own pace not because they need to not fall apart, but because you want to and need to. Forget about what the others wish or expect, just focus on yourself for once."

"What if that doesn't work?"

"Well, what if something _good_ happens?" Steven recognized that question. It was the same one he asked Lapis a bit before she ran away again when he had found her on the moon.

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel frustration at the fact that someone was giving him his own advice, but a bit of hopefulness. Would this work? Would he find himself and be happy again? Maybe yes, maybe not. Who knew. But he would never find the answer if he didn't try, right?

"I guess, I could give it a shot. It's worth it, right?" 

"You're worth it, Steven. You're totally worth it." 


	9. The Crystal Gems' first human kill AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: A fight between 4 intruders and Steven and the Crystal Gems ends up in the worst way.  
> For The Samurai Master

Everything was tranquility and silence until the first explosion happened. Lapis and Peridot, who were showing Bismuth some episodes of Camp Pining Hearts, got out from their house and watched the fire and the gems yelling for help.

Then another building was covered in flames by a second explosion.

"I'll call the others! Help anyone you can!" Bismuth commanded and ran to the Central Warp Pad of Little Homeworld, teleporting to the Beach House with the terrible news. It took seconds for the Crystal Gems and Steven to appear with horror painted on their faces at the calamity thrown upon the little gem town.

Lapis was putting out the flames in every house close to her, but every time she did it, another bomb gave her more work to do. Peridot was sending all her robonoids to find the culprit or the explosives to stop the pandemonium.

"Bismuth, Lapis, Peridot, evacuate everyone and make sure Beach City doesn't become into the next target." The B-Team nodded at Garnet's orders. "Amethyst, turn into a helicopter. We're going to search for the responsibles on air."

The purple quartz didn't lose time and everyone else mounted on her. She flew over the hell that was Little Homeworld, her eyes going from one side to the other until Pearl screamed and pointed at four people who were running, but one of them was holding a control remote.

It was a detonator.

The Crystal Gems and Steven surprised the group in a dark alley, far away from the disaster, though they didn't notice the criminals also had weapons hidden under their clothes.

Shots from pistols and submachine guns could barely be heard, some bullets almost broke windows of the buildings surrounding the 4 people.

Steven was the first to attack. He summoned his shield and threw it to the head of one of the perpetrators. The impact caused a huge crack sound and the guy fell in an instant.

The three left aimed their weapons at the Crystal Gems and fired, but it was in vain for the Gems evaded every shot as if it was a walk in the park.

They ran away in different directions, hoping to lose them; however, it only took some minutes for Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet to ambush them.

Amethyst's whip wrapped a neck. Pearl's spear stabbed a chest. Garnet's rocket gauntlet imploded centimeters away from the last terrorist.

It was over. Or wasn't it?

"This... They weren't..." Steven couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. In front of him was a man whose skull had been deformed by a single hit of nothing but his shield. His hair and face were covered in blood like the ground he laid on.

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were also in shock.

The enemies whom they had believed to be gems were actually humans.

One had his neck twisted and bleeding; the second one with a hole in his chest, face down in a red pool; and the last one with third-degree burns in more than half of his body.

It felt so surreal, but it was true. 

They had killed a human. 


	10. Post- I Am My Monster AU: He's still Steven

"Hey kiddo, wanna hear a new song?"

"Gggrrgfrgrgrffffrfg!"

"Good to know I still have my number 1 fan with me." Greg grabbed his guitar, sat on the sand, and the tip of his fingers caressed the strings of the musical instrument. The different tones summed with the tranquility of the beach made his son purr like a cat.

The reptilian or dragon-like creature, as big as a Dane, laid down on the warm sand, its whole body wrapped around his father, attentive to the music and lyrics that entered to its tiny ears, because yeah, you couldn't see reptile ears.

It has been almost 3 months since Steven’s mental breakdown that corrupted him, though there was a lot of discussion about this. Peridot inspected his gem with a machine she built to analyze the damage the supposed corruption had caused on both the gem and his human body, just to find out that there were no traces of that.

Steven’s gem was fine, his body was fine too. Well, as fine as you could describe it after he transformed into a magenta version of Godzilla.

Still, the issue was clear. Steven wasn't corrupted.

At first, Peridot thought that maybe her machine was faulty or not advanced enough to detect corruption, so she tore the whole thing apart and built it again with much better technology than before.

The result was the same. There was no corruption. Peridot's frustration went from _'This cloddy machine can't do anything right'!_ to _'This annoying, cloddy corruption couldn't just let being found'._

It took her 2 weeks. 2 weeks of theories, plans, tests and 'Clod, clod, clod!' mumbled and sometimes yelled for Steven to snap. The stress of his condition was too much and having Peridot trying to help him in her way was the last straw. Of course, his friend thought of hundreds of ideas to bring Steven’s human form back.

She sang him 'Peace and Love on planet Earth', talked to him about the times the two bonded and got closer, when they could stop the Cluster, even that time when she saw his distraught dream via TV.

Steven could feel the friendship and despair mixed in Peridot's eyes, and a tiny part within his mind wanted more than anything to cheer her up by returning to normal, but he felt more lost and broken which enraged him a lot.

The day he snapped was when Peridot tried to get him out of a somber mood with some jokes, insulting the Diamonds, even recalling the event when she betrayed Yellow. Instead of relaxing, the sole mention of the Diamonds pissed Steven off so much that he launched himself at Peridot as a rabid beast.

If it weren't for Connie who calmed him down, with the help of Lapis and Pearl, the little gem would be in pieces already.

The incident forced the Gems, Connie and Greg to take a riskier route to help Steven to overcome his condition. They had to ask the Diamonds, who were stationed far away from the Beach House to not cause distress on the town or on the hybrid, to give them some of their essences. At least, enough to revert some of the effects of his mysterious issue.

The Diamonds complied; however, no one got what they had been expecting. Instead of changing back, Steven just shrunk to the side of the Beach House. The others still waited for his human form to reappear, but it was in vain.

His whole skin was pink, scaly, and hard as steel. None of the spikes, the sharp horns, and fangs, not even the huge tail vanished.

Everyone still waited desperately for the miracle to happen only for disappointed to visit them.

With no more plans on their heads, everyone fell apart. The Gems were hysterical. Pearl couldn't stop crying, lamenting Steven's fate. Amethyst could barely remain strong because the tears rolling down her cheeks betrayed her. Garnet was at the edge of unfusing too many times to count, wondering why her future vision was unable to see this coming.

Bismuth tried to comfort Pearl, Lapis kept asking Garnet to look forward to the future for a solution, Peridot tried to make newer plans with Amethyst, though the purple quartz was so enraptured in working hard to not freak out that she ignored everything Peridot was telling her.

The Diamonds, meanwhile, were mumbling with each other. In their eyes, the ghosts of pain and guilt were visible. So much drama and no progress was the last Steven needed, and Connie knew that. So, she opened her mouth, ready to shut everyone up again and demanding them to get their shit together, but unexpectedly, Greg beat her to it.

"ENOUGH!!!" Both Crystal Gems and Diamonds looked at him, surprised by his yell.

After getting their attention, Greg started questioning if doing this was the right idea. But he pushed himself to keep going. His son needed support, not this mess.

"Look," He sighed before continuing. "I might not be an expert of gem stuff, but I know that freaking out and crying nonstop isn't helping. At all. Steven deserves to feel that all the people who love him will always be there for him, no matter what."

"B-But how?" Lapis asked, "We don't know how to bring him back."

"Honestly, this is the least of our priorities right now."

"Are you kidding us?!" Peridot screamed, outraged. "Are you blind or what, Greg? Steven is in this monstrous form, there are no traces of corruption to say that was the cause of this, and to make it worse, he can't change back!"

The old man heard his son's pained whining which prompted him to glare at the green gem.

"Whether he can or not, that doesn't matter. What matters is that we support him, give him space, treat him like we always do on a normal day. I mean, well, ok, you may think of my idea as delusional or me being in denial, but it's not like that. If you approach him as if he were going to snap at you, instead of hanging out with him as friends and family do, he'll be hurt and won’t trust himself or anyone."

Greg scratched the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable with what was coming next.

"I have to admit, and this isn't to be in self-pity, but I'm as guilty as you. I wanted to give him everything my childhood lacked. I thought it was for the best, that he would be happy, and here we are, unfortunately. I had to learn this hard way that what I think Steven needed wasn't the real solution. It was just a way to compensate myself for not having what he could have with me being different compared to my parents. Steven doesn't need endless freedom or a lot of rules, but we working together to reach a balance. I know all of us to have differences and many of you harbored ill feelings towards the other for many reasons." The Gems and the Diamonds looked at each other unconsciously before glancing away. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. And guess what? Even with all the crazy stuff Steven has gone through, he didn’t mind helping you. Even with the mistakes, the dangers, the disagreements, and fights, he wanted to be there for you and make you happy. And yeah! He didn't know where to start, but still, he tried. Because he loves you, guys. He cares. No matter how confusing and weird things were back then, he cared and worked hard for all of you... He beat the odds and the hurt... Until it was too much."

Greg felt the incoming tears gathering in his eyes, but willed himself to stop them.

"So, don't you think it's time to do the same? To beat the odds by working together for him?"

"How do we start though?" Spinel asked shyly.

"That we'll figure out, but right now, Steven just wants his family to be there for him, to not act as if he were gone already... I know his condition is severe and more investigation is important, but it will stress him. So, our first step is just to show him love, support, reminding him every day that he's special and cherished no matter what. He can have as many spikes or horns as that condition of his can give him; he's still Steven, nonetheless. And if he was able to help us when we were at our lowest, why couldn't we?"

"Mr. Universe is right," this time Connie intervened. "This is not the time for pity parties, arguments, or tears. The more we let those issues get the best of us, the more we are triggering Steven. And whether his transformation was caused by corruption or his powers going out of control or another anomaly on his gem, his mental and emotional wellbeing should be taken care of as much as his physical one. We can't just see him as someone trapped in a monster appearance, or a creature whose mind is unable to process things. He's not gone! He's just going through a lot and becoming into this giant, magenta Godzilla was his only resort to defend himself. If we want to help him, we need to work as a team, put aside whatever grudge we have against each other, get our crap together, and create a healthier environment for his mental health. If not, he will never improve. So, or we start right now, or else things won't change. Got it?"

The audience was silent for some minutes until they nodded, determination burning in their eyes.

"Thank you, Connie," Greg said with a hopeful smile on his face, placing a hand on her shoulder.

And here we are now, with Mr. Universe playing the guitar and Steven listening happily. 

The journey of recovery was harsh at the start. Communicating with a hybrid teenager in his monster form wasn't easy. Many mistakes and fights came and went, but Greg's resolution to be there for his son was so strong, that he took care of any misunderstanding between Steven and the others. Slowly, step by step, the boy's size was reduced to the one of a dog. 

His horns shrunk and looked less sharp, and the same was said about the spikes on his back and tail and his claws and fangs. 

There were still a lot of questions about what caused Steven’s transformation and why he couldn't change back by his own will. However, his mood got better. He was more cheerful, curious, and expressive, filling his heart with hope as much as the others'. 

Greg knew that these 3 months were just a tiny fraction of the start. Many meetings with the rest of the family were waiting for the uncertain future of his son had still so much unknown territory to explore, especially the one with Priyanka and some therapists she knew and recommended him for Steven. Despite that, he could feel that they finally were on the right track to help Steven the same way he did for all of them. No matter what, Greg would listen to his son and provide unconditional love and advice, to show him that he wasn't alone and they would always get his back. 


	11. Post-The Future one-shot: Back to home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: After 2 years of traveling, Steven has a surprise prepared for his loved ones.  
> For theman1917

The road was deserted. Almost. One or two cars could be seen some meters away from the Dondai; Steven had learned that if you get up early to drive, there is no much traffic to deal with which was a pro.

The only disadvantage was the hour. 6 a.m. was too much for him, he would have preferred to do this at 7 o'clock to feel more energized, especially with the news he wanted to give his family and friends.

Nervousness coursed through his veins. He didn't know how they were going to react once he told them about his choice, though that sounded silly. They would be happy for him. The Gems, Dad, even Connie had been very supportive since he started therapy after the whole 'Pinkzilla breakdown'.

There were heart-to-heart, tears, screaming, and mixed feelings, but the most important aspect was that Steven could begin his journey of healing and self-discovery appropriately with the guide of professional help.

And as much as he despised the moments of relapsing and feeling stuck, he had to admit that was necessary too. A journey of healing wasn't a good one if you don't take a break after some hard episodes.

But this time, the new episode in his life would start right where he was born.

Beach City looked peaceful and the same could be said about Little Homeworld.

He wondered how was he going to meet everyone without interrupting their classes, maybe a surprise party could help.

\--------

He parked his car at the outskirts of Little Homeworld, he could spot some gems going on with their routines as always until one of them saw him and ran to greet him.

"Steven! Can't believe it! You're back!" Little Larimar's grin was adorable while she hugged him.

"Hey, Larimar! Good to see you too! How's everything going here?"

"Oh you know, classes, new gems, new buildings. I even heard there was going to be a lesson about cooking but maybe it's just a rumor. So, a surprise visit, I guess?"

"More than that, to be honest," Steven then thought for a second, perhaps Larimar could lend him a hand. "Hey, I was thinking. Now that we have met each other again, can you help me with something? I want to surprise the Gems, but this has to go smoothly. They don't have to know."

Larimar smiled bigger than ever which the boy took as a yes.

"Alright, these are the steps. One, the Beach House has to empty. Two, my friends and Dad don't have to see me or my car. Three, a bit more of assistance will make things easier."

"I can call Snowflake and Biggs. They will love to entertain them. Then I can ask Crazy Lace and Ocean to give me a hand with the preparations."

Steven could see it now. Their faces filled with happiness and love, the hugs and the big talk he would give. This was going to be fantastic.

\----------------

The Crystal Gems, the B-Team, Greg, and Connie -who by mere coincidence was visiting everyone -, were called for an emergency at the Beach House courtesy of Biggs whose brilliant idea was making them believe someone from the group needed them immediately.

Thankfully, none of them used the Warp Pads because that could've ruined the surprise and when all of them ran to the Beach House, confused and intrigued, their eyes widened at who they saw.

"Hey, guys! Did ya miss me?"

"STEVEN!!!"

Everyone ran to him, many sets of arms enveloped the young man as he laughed and reciprocated the gesture.

"We missed you so much Steven!" voiced Peridot, her eyes growing teary.

"I've missed you too. All of you. Now, there is something you should know, so what if we get comfortable first?"

They quickly sat around him. The Gems and Dad at his right side, and the B-Team and Connie on his left side. Steven sighed deeply before revealing the surprise.

"Guys, I've traveled a lot. There were so many places that enraptured me. Big ones, small ones, some fun, some boring. I loved them all. They had a lot of history, and the people I've met were amazing too. It was like meeting with myself again, you know? My human side. What I like to do, my hobbies, my dislikes, my wishes, my dreams, any little part of that side that intrigues the more I find out something about myself. You know, one time I was thinking what would it felt to make a new home because those places were wonderful and it would be an adventure. Not that 'fighting monsters' or 'traveling to a new planet' kind of adventure, but something more human. Simple chores like washing the dishes, washing my clothes, living on my own, learning human stuff. And I bet it would be fun! But... Well, as much as the world out there has a lot to offer when you talk about houses, and neighborhoods, and meeting others who are doing the same as you, it wouldn't feel right... Not that it wouldn't be fantastic, but as much as I loved exploring those places, I haven't formed a connection with them as of here... What I am trying to say in the end is that I've decided to settle down in Beach City!"

There was silence on the other side. A mix of feelings, comprehension, happiness, apprehension, worry were seen in all of the faces of the audience. Then, when Steven thought he had to say something to break the ice, Amethyst talked:

"Wow dude, that is... Ok, honestly, I love that you have decided to stay here, but can I ask if this is what you really want? I mean, look, you don't have to worry about us, just take care of yourself and go settle wherever you like. You don't have to do this for us if that's what you're doing."

"Oh no, Amethyst. This is all about me. This is my home, you're all my family, and yeah, traveling and figuring out what means to be human have helped me so much. But my heart is here with all of you, though it will be in another house. The Beach House is full and a change of scenery doesn't sound so bad."

"Steven, we couldn't be happier with your choice. We have missed you a lot," Pearl then stopped herself to analyze carefully her words. "We just don't want you to feel like you have to pick the same spot. I mean, Earth is enormous. There are a plethora of options for you to pick from. Whichever you desire, we'll be supportive. We can call each other, visit you. Our only priority is to make sure that you are considering your wellbeing as the most important aspect of your life right now."

"I think it will work." Greg opined, with a tone of encouragement. "If this is what your heart has chosen, Shtu-ball, then go for it. We'll give you all the help we can."

"Thanks, dad." Steven then glanced at the others who have remained in silence, processing the news. "I get that after my mental breakdown, you don't want me to fall on the same bad habits, but I assure you that it won't happen. There was a lot of up and downs before my journey and during that, but I've learned from each of them. And even if there is a challenge to face, I will do it while keeping in mind that my health is also important. I want this. I won't stay for you but me. It's not something I was expected to do, it's about what I have planned on my own."

"Totally sure, Steven?" Connie this time intervened.

"Totally sure and totally honest."

"Whether things go ok or wrong in the future, you’ll have us, Steven. Welcome back." Garnet smiled at him and everyone else followed, ecstatic to have him with them again. 

The hybrid hugged them all, excited for this new chapter of his life. 

Welcome back, Steven. 


	12. Bubble Buddies AU: Boredom

Every day was the same thing. Get up early, take a shower, change clothes, clean your room, take breakfast, wash your teeth, check you have everything you need in your backpack, and then go to school.

Listen to the teachers, take notes, return home, do your homework, eat dinner, wash your teeth, change into your pajamas, and then go to sleep.

All in that order. Nothing should be done before or later than the other things. Also, don't get in trouble, be careful out there, don't talk to strangers, etc, etc, etc.

Such a structure. Such a distasteful, annoying structure. Connie utterly hated it.

There was nothing new about it. It was like a broken record, or Deja Vu, or a loop.

Her classmates could talk about anything and everything slightly different in their lives. Maybe going to a new club on school, rumors that people created on the hallways, what happened to their families that might have surprised them, a trip they would take, a new hobby, organizing a sleepover.

That sounded fun, a foreign word to her. What could she say if she were asked those questions? Just routine, routine, and more routine.

Sometimes, she wondered what would've happened if she hadn't ghosted Steven. 

That fateful day, Connie not only was trapped inside a pink bubble Steven had summoned with his powers, but also the girl almost died because they were inside that bubble in the bottom of the sea, and next, they were chased by a gigantic worm monster. 

When the calamity was over, her mind -numb due to the dangers recently lived, trying to process all that happened- could only conjure some phrases and words that made enough sense for Steven to understand. 

In summary, Connie told Steven that she needed to get home or else her parents would get worried, he said ok and asked if they would meet again, she said yes, of course, and then ran to go back to her house. 

The 'Yes, of course' was a lie. A part of Connie, the numb one, was so terrified at Steven’s world - the only scraps it could get that was full of monsters and crazy adventures-, that decided the best course of action was to avoid him and anything related to the boy. 

No messages, no phone calls, not even going to the beach again to read. Nothing. As if that day and Steven had never existed.

However, there was another part of Connie who wanted to reach out to that world, to explore it.

How grandiose would it be to live adventures, learn something new beyond your imagination, fighting monsters like the heroes of a comic book or the ones of her favorite fantasy books!

Saving the world, going places never seen before, meeting extraordinary people! 

Feeling as if your life was spectacular and not a mere second in a bleak, mundane sea. 

Nothing could compare to those moments you could only experience in movies and novels. 

Nonetheless, her logic and fear put together in that numb side of her -or should she call it the cautious side?- disagreed with all their might at the idea of changing the result of things. Every time Connie came with a resolution to talk to Steven, to contact him, to try to understand and be part of his adventurous life, she was rebuffed with the next arguments: if she said he was living something amazing, she was then reminded about the day when she almost died inside that bubble. If she tried to look for ways to reach Steven, her logic told her that it was dangerous and shouldn't mess with that. If she fantasized about fighting monsters, the stings of terror reprimanded her saying that she could get seriously hurt or worse. 

_Always think about the consequences._

_This kind of world is too risky for you._

_What will your parents say if they find out?_

_This lifestyle is crazy and chaotic!_

_You don't know what you might be dealing with!_

The arguments kept repeating in her head, changing or taking a more severe tone. 

Connie sighed, trying to not lose attention at her history teacher who was talking about some event that may be on an exam or maybe not. 

What a stupid idea of comparing the amazingness of a quest where a hero defeats the villain and encourage the weak to grow and stand up to themselves with the aimless effort of memorizing data and responding to questions you would forget later, all for a simple score you would not remember. 

The girl groaned a bit and focused on her class, taking notes to change the topic inside her mind. 


	13. The Crystal Gem's first human kill AU: Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The rest of the team is told about what happened to the terrorists.  
> For The Samurai Master

It was unbelievable how much life could change with a single decisión. Whether it was changing from a career to another of living in a new country, many things could happen. Good and bad.

Today, though, everything was going sourly. After the bombs were deactivated and the fire was taken care of, the B-Team looked for the Steven and the Crystal Gems just to find them in total wreck. Emotionally and psychologically.

Their pale faces, trembling bodies and gestures that said horror in every movement they made weren't the good news the others were expecting. However, the real bomb -and they had dealt with a lot, to be honest- was the fact that their friends not only stopped the culprits of the destruction but also killed them.

They had killed them, thinking they were gems.

The four terrorists were human, all males, with guns and rifles. Steven was the first one to talk about that, though he vomited when recounting how he defeated one of the criminals.

It had already been half a week, but processing the news was still hard for the B-Team. And let's not talk about Greg. He was more worried about his son and the Gems that even the shock from that revelation wasn't enough to prevent him to give some comfort to the teenager.

Healing from that horrific battle would be the challenge of challenges.

Everyone of the B-Team, alongside Greg, took turns to help with the reconstruction of Little Homeworld and helping their friends in finding some closure for this mess. No one warned them it would be a task in hell difficulty.

Steven could barely sleep, always mumbling things like 'I should've been more careful', 'What I've done?' and crying nonstop. His father hugged him and let him open up, saying he wasn't a monster, that those men were destroying and hurting others.

Bismuth tried to encourage Pearl to fight again, but after that traumatic event, the veteran was so disgusted with herself that seeing weapons was the last thing she wanted to do. To make it worse, she got trapped inside her own head, being unjustly critic about herself as a punishment.

Garnet almost unfused 7 times. Remaining strong seemed more a curse than a job. Peridot used logic and friendly acts to calm her down, but sometimes she was yelled at as result. The permafusion was so enraptured in her self-hatred for not using her future vision to know that the criminals were humans that she ignored every advice Peridot gave her.

Amethyst wasn't doing better than any of them. If someone were in her room right now, they would see a bigger mess full of broken objects and tearful screams. Before, Amethyst's place in the temple was a labyrinth made of junk, special to her. After the incident, it became a huge punching bag. She grabbed anything close to her, and stomp on it, tear it apart, burn it down, whatever to satiate her anger at the terrorists, the destruction on Little Homeworld and at herself.

Lapis, instead of going with the plethora of 'It's going to be ok' or a pat in the back, decided to help her vent all her feelings. She could relate to that kind of hatred. The resentment at the world, the self-loathing, so, she encouraged her to fight with her, to give it all until she was done. In the end, after long hours of violent outburst, Amethyst ended up laying in Lapis' lap, while the blue gem stroked her hair to console her.

What surprised the B-Team and Greg the most was what they thought about Steven and the Gems. Never in their lives this had happened, but still, they couldn't blame their friends.

Many people would have died back then. It was a terrorist attack, the culprits were running away and they even tried to kill them. It was pretty obvious that whether they were gems or human, they would receive punishment. Besides, Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot would be huge hypocrites of they called the Gems and Steven out for this when they had threatened the world or been violent in the past. And about Greg, well, there was no way he was going to leave his son alone and lost, even when he was told what the boy had done. He would move Earth and Heaven to give him the peace he deserved.

It would be a long and strenous journey to recovery, but for their loved ones, they would do anything. 


	14. Mr. Universe AU: A normal life for once

The more Steven listened to Dad, the more incensed and outraged he felt.

_'Steven, I couldn't do anything growing up. Everything I liked, or wore, wanted was always wrong! Trust me, you're better off than I was.'_

Better of than he was?! Was Dad fucking kidding him?! Didn’t he know what his own son had to go through to save the Earth from mom's carelessness and stupidity?! 

He just... 

Dad just...! 

"I can't believe I never realized, you're.. you're just like mom!" This was a low blow. A big and low one. He admired his father, followed his example, both were close, but this?! Knowing that not only his mom ran away like a coward at the mere sign of trouble but Dad too... 

What the fuck happened to the laughter and fun of the journey to ending up so fucked up?! 

"You grew up with actual freedom!" 

That just made the sickening neon pink grow brighter and his anger more overwhelming, suffocating.

Freedom?! Was that guy blind or what?! 

He was on a deadly trial in front of the Diamonds, imprisoned in a tower with Connie on Homeworld, in a cell prison inside Jasper's armship. His life was at the brink of death more times than he could count and Dad had the fucking, shitty nerve to say that?! 

"I grew up in a van! I never went to school! I've never been to the doctor until two days ago!" 

He missed a lot! So many things he could've explored and enjoyed for him to deal with danger, pain, and nightmares! 

"Steven! You're a gem! You're not like other kids!" 

That was the last straw. 

"I could have done all that stuff! My problem isn't that I'm a gem, my problem is that I'm a UNIVERSE!"

In a fit of blinding rage, Steven ripped the steering wheel from its place, causing the van to get out of control. Immediately, he closed his eyes and wait for the imminent crash that would come for him and Dad; however, the silence was the only thing that responded to him. Until a voice intervened.

"So, what you want is a normal life, don't you?"

The hybrid teenager opened his eyes slowly and was shocked at seeing a floating, shiny axolotl of the size of a dog in front of him.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" He glanced to his right and noticed that his father wasn't moving at all. In fact, Greg's posture was the same as a statue.

No, wait. Everything was as quiet and rigid as a statue!

"What the heck is going on?!"

"Don't worry, Steven Universe. You and your father aren't dead. You're not dreaming, and no, this isn't your doing. I stopped the time to talk with you."

"W-With me?"

The creature nodded.

"Why?"

"I've felt a great disturbance within you, and there is also a huge craving in your soul due to a...reckless lack of balance. Of course, this isn't my business, but after hearing the many impossible achievements you've managed, I guess, helping you is the least you deserve."

"Helping me in what?" Then Steven went to the actual problem "Oh, do you mean the van going out of control?"

"Not exactly. Tell me, Steven Universe, do you want a normal life?"

A normal life? Wait, did this strange creature listen to him and Dad arguing?

"Were you eavesdropping on us?"

"I sense in your feelings the craving you wanted. That gave me enough context."

That was a no, he guessed.

About the other thing...

Living a normal life. It sounded fantastic.

"Yeah, I... I've missed a lot. No school, no hospital, nothing that was a bit, you know, take-it-easy. My only constant in life was chaos because of who I am. This part of myself is getting out of control and I don't know what to do anymore. But how can you help me? No, wait, before that, who are you?"

"I am the Axolotl. About the first question, I can give you what you want. A normal, average life. No gem powers, no gem issues, it will be a complete reset."

"Reset?"

"You will be born again. You'll have a normal family, dealing with the same human problems and facing the same human challenges that your human friends, like Connie for example, have to endure every day. Would you like that?"

He couldn't believe it! It couldn't be true, right? This was too perfect to be true!

"There is no catch, right?"

"No. You don't have to owe me anything. The only thing you'll have to do is live your life to the fullest. I think it will help you to realign yourself."

Realign himself. Whatever that means, it didn't matter to him, he just wanted to have what Dad had. But what if that wish destroyed the Gems, condemned the gempire and everything else? What about Connie, Lars, Sadie, Onion even?

"If I say yes, the others will be fine? Nothing bad will happen to them?"

"No. They will be fine; however, the timeline will be changed to prevent a rift on it. You've made incredible changes on Earth, Homeworld, the universe. Someone else will have to take your place in this timeline, while you will take theirs and live a normal life. Both of you will go back on square one to create your journey."

"But I will see them again, right? My family, my friends, Connie. Heck, Lion, CatSteven. All of them?"

"All of them."

Again, this was too perfect to be true. He needed to be 100% sure this wasn't a trap.

"If I said no, what would you do?"

"I'd leave. It's up to you, Steven Universe. If you refuse, I will understand and leave forever, and time will continue. If you accept this offer, the changes will be permanent. That's all I can say."

This was so tempting and surreal, but hey! What could go wrong, right? What could Steven lose if he took this unimaginable offer?

"Ok, Axolotl, you convinced me. I'm in."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Totally."

Axolotl looked at him intensely for some seconds before answering.

"Alright, then. Close your eyes, relax, and sleep."

Steven did as he said. Excitement and dread filling his guts. He could have it, he could live it, after years of nothing but danger and bomb secrets the best was going to happen to him.

Steven Universe was going to live a normal life. 


	15. Futuristic AU: Dystopia city

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Crystal Gem's life in a world where prestige and tech's power dominates everything.  
> For LP-RIPPER24 Fan

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Some tools fell to the ground and a gasp was heard. Pearl lifted her construction visor and put her equipment in her place before approaching the door with uncertainty.

That feeling was the bane of her existence for it stuck with her like a shadow or a cold.

She pressed her left index finger in a panel that illuminated in seconds.

"Password." She ordered.

A groan followed next, then after a moment of silence, a voice responded. 

"Urvh Txduwc. Fubvwdo Jhpv. Odslv Odcxol."

Pearl pressed some hidden buttons in the plain panel which opened the door for the stranger. A slender, blue-skinned woman limped slowly until she sat on an old sofa. There were some bruises and scratches on her body, though the biggest problem was the unbearable pain on her back where her gemstone was.

"You're a mess," Pearl commented, a mix of disappointment and worry in her voice.

"I am always a mess. And--nnngngnhn!" One of Lapis' hands went right to her gemstone to calm down the pain, but the other thin gem grabbed gently her hand while shaking her head.

"Wait here." The veteran gem entered a room where vials filled with Rose's tears were stored. Life-and-death injuries were an issue of every day, unfortunately.

She poured the healing tears on the crack on Lapis' gemstone which glowed until there was no damage.

"So, before my 'unsavory and super annoying lecture' as you call my speeches about responsibility, care to tell me what happened?"

"Same old, same old. Corporations hunting gem monsters to experiment, scavengers and gangs killing each other for a piece of gem technology, and people like us going into extinction because no one cares anymore about decency. It's your guess."

The other gem remained silent then he sat beside Lapis, massaging her temples.

Stress was also common these days and she wished so much that reality was different. 

"What about the mission? Did you--?" Lapis summoned a bubble with 2 gemstones, smiling in dry triumph. "It took me a long time, but I did it. With these two, we have 23 corrupted gems rescued from those bastards."

The waterbending gem sat up and screamed at the top of her lungs: "Did you hear me, you motherfuckers?! One of these days, you’ll be rotting in fucking hell! You, you, and your goddamn good-for-nothing, money-obsessed, piggy family of mafia, fuckos! And then I'll laugh at your shitty faces while you're crying for your momma and I'll make you pay for what you did to my sisters, you di--!" Pearl didn't let her finish her bitter tirade. The strict 'bird mom' -as Amethyst loved to call her- put a hand over Lapis' mouth, utterly embarrassed and shocked at such vulgar and obscene language. 

Oh, stars! She hoped Steven hadn't heard any of that. Her little boy didn't deserve to be surrounded by bad influences. 

'Note to self Pearl: Do not let Amethyst and Lapis hang out anymore.'

"Look, we still have a lot to plan if we want to reach our goal, Lazuli. The corporations are fighting against have 2/3 of the lost corrupted gems we couldn't save, and I don't know how much gem tech they have gathered too, but I don't doubt they have found a way to control them with devices that have turned those gems into killing machines. And about the mafia... Garnet and Peridot are still investigating who is the mastermind behind the whole gem trafficking and the huge explosion that almost killed us all. We can not rush or else everything we have fought for is over... Including your younger sisters."

Lapis' explosive mood deflated, very aware of what Pearl was referring to. 

"You're right, which I hate if you ask me. It's just... Waiting, working hard, risking your life, getting help, an increasing number of the allies we have, and even hoping for the better. It's just too much, Pearl. We can't keep it like this anymore. I can't! There should be a great step to catch up with those monsters and recover what they have stolen from us. Our peace, our friends, the people here, even Steven."

"Steven is fine." The pale gem objected. 

"Pearl, you have built a force field-summoning belt for him to protect him in case some crazy nutcase or sociopath from a gang or a corporation lure him and use him as a weapon!" 

"It's my duty as a surrogate mother to keep him safe! Besides, even if Beach City has some kind people that he has befriended, society has changed too much and not for the best. There are drug addicts, brothels, illegal racing car contests, kidnapping, and don't make me start on the worst of the worst. I'm not in the mood for that."

"Me neither."

Both gems remained in silence, mulling about the what-ifs and what-would-have despite the urge to forget the fear, the losses, the anger of every victory taken away from the Crystal Gems. Every step forward that meant that their City would be cleansed from the scum of society, the ones who cared more about profits, statistics, and machinery than others' lives.

Who thought that humanity would go far by fusing their own technology with old relics of gem whether they were warships, old-fashioned weapons, or an aesthetic device. However, the more they experiment with foreign knowledge, the more ambitious and cruel they became until wars between them started and gems from many places had to hide, especially the ones who were corrupted.

Just a few refused to fall that low and fought with the Crystal Gems or chose another side that wasn’t a corporation or a criminal organization.

But the situation was still precarious. Unstable. They had to take turns to take care of Steven, to homeschool him, to make sure no suspicious eye was on any of them.

Many times they feared their little house was going to be invaded. If that were to happen, there would be casualties. Because even when they were powerful, their enemies knew how to get through their skin, how to weak them until they break apart.

"Do you think this will end, Pearl? You know, a happy ever after as Steven is always told in fairy tales and kid movies?"

"I don't know, but if we give up, we will never find out, right?"

Lapis nodded tiredly. Just a bit more time. Just a bit more to have the peace they deserve. 


	16. Dimension/Time Travel AU: Disillusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This AU is inspired by a videogame of the Forgotten Hills series. Here is an image link for more information:
> 
> https://images.app.goo.gl/knNHd7e5LxDo3p617

Connie couldn't be more nervous as she was right now. Despite her experience with gem stuff, like corrupted gems and missions, the trepidation in her heart was so deafening that she could barely register her surroundings. Sweat covered her front head and it took a lot of her will to not fall into a panic attack.

And how couldn't you? It was one thing to travel on your own to a new place where you might meet future allies or foes, but it was another one to be transported to another dimension or time by what it seemed to be a harmless and antiquated pocket watch.

Not only that, the people she knew or befriended didn’t know who she was at all. I mean, let's take a look at Lapis, for example. Her whole attire was a huge contrast compared to the one she used when she joined the Crystal Gems, and the blue-skinned waterbender also bonded with other gems. This wasn't the Lapis Lazuli she knew. The standoffish terraformer only interacted with Steven, Peridot, and Bismuth, and if the chance was there, with Connie too.

Also, what the heck was that Flagless Siblinghood community the gem mentioned her before?

The girl had a lot of questions to make and she was going to get her answers, even if she had to fight for them.

"Hey, kid!" Lapis called her, signaling for her to approach. When Connie didn't, the blue lady sighed. "Come on, the others want to meet you. Besides, weren't you asking for answers?"

"Sorry but after what I've been through until this moment, trusting you or anyone else here is not a good idea." Connie crossed her arms, frowning like her mother would as if she was facing a mischievous child.

Lapis sighed again. "Look, kid, I don't know you and you seem to know me as weird as that sounds. You appeared out of nowhere and were almost killed by a huge metallic beast. If it weren't for me, you'd be dead right now. I don't have any issues with you, but you are lost and have information that I doubt a human kid could get on their own. So, let's do this: I'll give you all the answers you want and you'll respond to our questions. No danger, no traps, no catches. My friends won't hurt you, just know what's going on. I promise."

Connie balanced the pros and cons. This might be her only chance to have more context about her situation. About her location, the time, the place, everything. But what if by answering Lapis' friends' questions, she made them angry? What would they do?

Imprison her? Experiment with her? Kick her out of the city? It could be anything and it wouldn't be pretty. So...

"You have to promise with all seriousness that you won't let them hurt me. Not that I don't know how to fight, but I don't have any weapons." _'Except for a stupid pocket watch with the power to send me to a parallel dimension without my consent'_ Connie lamented, exasperated.

"Alright," Lapis said which got the girl out of her train of thought. "I promise nothing bad will happen to you, and your questions will be answered."

The teenager followed her this time and entered after the gem to the meeting room, wondering if this was still a good plan. 

\------------

Stranger and acquainted faces directed their eyes at the human female. Connie bowed as a hello and sign of respect, praying this gave them the idea that she wasn't a foe or anything insidious. 

Her eyes took on the new environment. In front of her was a huge pentagonal table that looked futuristic. On their seats were a group of gems. A Sapphire dressed as one of those Spanish ladies from colonial times that you could see on Wikipedia; a Nephrite wearing armor that made her look like an amazon; Snowflake, much to Connie's surprise, who wore a mix of a coat and Viking armor that was big enough for her frame; an Orange Citrine with the appearance of a samurai, two blades on her hips; Biggs, a close friend of Bismuth, the gem resembled a female orc warrior from one of those Warcraft movies if the girl recalled right; a Ruby with her gemstone on the left side of her neck, her appearance made Connie swallow some saliva because of the memories of the wedding, and especially because there was a Sapphire in the room. The last gem was a Peridot whose skin color was olive green, and her gemstone was under her chin. She was using limb enhancers, though they looked more advanced and resilient. 

"Guys, this is Connie," Lapis started, feeling nervous due to the tension in the air. "I found her on the Steel Jungle. She has some information that is kind of surprising."

"In what way?" Asked Orange Citrine. 

"She knew who I was, or what type of gem I was."

"Is this true?" Nephrite asked Connie, distrustful. 

"Yes, ma'am." This gem was the second one the girl called like that. Pearl was the first, but now wasn't time for nostalgia. "I know Lapis Lazuli. Well, If you let me explain, I know her because I met her counterpart."

"From another dimension." the Sapphire intervened solemnly. Her comrades gasped in shock and looked at the gem as if she had said the end of the world was tomorrow like talking about the weather. 

"Uuuuhhhh... How did you--?" 

"Future vision." Spanish Sapphire explained. Connie smacked herself mentally. Of course, it was so obvious! 

"So, another dimension, right?" This time, Snowflake talked. "Are there other gems where you come from?" 

"Yes. Homeworld and Crystal gems."

The moment she said the last two words, the ambient was covered by icy silence. There were astonishment, anger, and resentment on many eyes on various degrees much to the teenager's confusion. 

A part of her regretted making that comment; the other part was avid for information. She glanced at Lapis whose arms were crossed over her chest and she was looking at some part of the room, gloomy and awkward. 

_'Should I say something? Lapis promised to protect me if the meeting went wrong. Should I trust her and ask what's going on?'_

Yeeesh, just what Connie needed. Pissing her hosts off. 

She coughed slightly before talking again. "I apologize for the...upsetting comment, I didn’t know it was a sore spot. However, because I'm new in your home dimension, I need to know why you've reacted like that. There is no worry about telling me to not blabber about this reunion; I just want answers, that's all. I will keep everything we talk about here secret. I swear."

After some more cold quietness, Lapis groaned and started explaining. "The Crystal Gems... First of all, are you one of them in your dimension?" 

"Yes."

"Ok... Well, I don't know how many members you have met there, but in this room, there are two. Two former Crystal Gems, to be exact. Snowflake and Biggs. As for the whole Crystal Gem thing. It is a sore spot because of the CG scandal."

"CG? Is that an acronym for Crystal Gems?" 

"Exactly." Orange Citrine entered the conversation. "That scandal was the reason the Gem War ended with the Earth being deemed unfit to be a colony, according to the Diamonds. And it was the catalyst of Homeworld going into anarchy and consecutive rebellions that extended to every colony known in gem history."

Connie's mind traveled to the many conversations she had with Steven where his mom and her actions were the main topics. Of all his loved ones, the girl was the only one he trusted enough to tell her about his most complex feelings towards his mother, even when the hybrid was starting to doing fine with therapy. 

There was a long list of mistakes and wrongdoings Pink AKA Rose Quartz had done during her time as a Diamond and a rebel leader before giving up her physical form to make Steven. 

But whatever mess she had caused that could be discovered by these gems, including former Crystal Gems, was terrible enough for the whole rebellion to be torn apart. 

Connie wondered what kind of atrocity, miscalculation, or slipup could have such devastating consequences. Though, what if the answer was pretty clear but she didn't want to hear it or see the evidence?

 _'No, Maheswaran. Don't doubt right now. You need answers. You need context and a plan if you want to come back home'_ She said to herself. Still, the girl wasn't sure if she was prepared at all for what she was going to see. 


	17. Reckless and rebellious AU: The rematch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Stevonnie and Kevin have a car racing rematch that gets out of control.  
> For Need for Speed guy

"You'd better be prepared, Kevin. This time the only scene I will be delighted to see will be your face kissing the ground in defeat."

"That if you can defeat me with that prehistoric junk of yours." Kevin turned the engine on. His car roared like a pride of hungry lions, boosting his ego. He watched Stevonnie giving life to the engine of their own car.

The sound it emitted only made him laugh. This would be so easy, and to make it better, the revenge would be twice as sweet. The last time they race against each other, Stevonnie decided to waste his and their time watching the starry night as if that was more important than winning. How insulting! Acting as if what they were doing back then was going to give them more satisfaction.

Oh, but things would be different.

Meanwhile, Stevonnie was preparing themself for action and fun. That jerk would never know what hit him.

A random guy with a handkerchief in one hand got their attention. "At the count of 3!" Both drivers looked at each other briefly before focusing on their steer wheels.

"1... 2... 3!"

The Dondai and the Ferrari 488 sprinted like souls chased by the Devil. The vehicles even left marks on the asphalt and trails of smoke.

Stevonnie was confident in this rematch. The car, despite not being fancy or supermodern like Kevin's Ferrari, was upgraded by Peridot and if there was something they knew is that the green gem was an expert on tech for transport. They were even in a tie with Kevin right now! But the fusion didn't want to win that easily, some excitement was needed. That and the urge to kick some ass.

Kevin groaned after glancing at his rival's vehicle, wondering how an old Dondai could be that fast compared to his Ferrari 488. This model was new and the engine had a guarantee of 20 years, so, why couldn't he defeat them in seconds?!

He accelerated which prompted Stevonnie to do the same, being extra careful on the curves. Those were always deceitful, a mere slip up and you could end up seriously hurt. An ending that wasn’t part of Stevonnie's plan.

The tires of the wheels 'scratched' the road while the steering wheels were maneuvered to dominate the dangerous curves. Kevin struggled much more than Stevonnie whose Dondai had tires better suited to those kinds of movements, but that didn't deter him to go from 120 kilometers per hour to almost 200.

Now his rival was many meters behind and the victory was this close to being savored. Until a huge roared was heard, and the Dondai reached 220 kilometers per hour, surpassing him.

He clonked the claxon in rage and accelerated again. They were so wrapped up in a fight of speed and dangerous tactics to overcome any curve or obstacle in the way that none of them noticed a police car chasing them.

One of the officers grabbed a megaphone and open the window of his seat. "This is the police! Stop right now! You're breaking the speed limit!"

Nothing. Stevonnie and Kevin were still at it. The officers couldn't catch up to them. Their vehicle had the gas tanks full, but it wasn’t new or upgraded with gem technology to reach the competitors.

"Don't do anything stupid, you two! Stop right now! This is our last warning!" yelled the police officer at the top of his lungs, though the cars didn't seem to stop and the distance between them kept growing.

"We'll have to use the aerial move." The officer who was driving grabbed the walkie talkie and called for backup: "Code 505A! Repeat, code 505A! There are a Dondai and a sport Ferrari in an illegal car race. Extremely high speed. Use the helicopters right now! And every other officer who is in a break and close to the zone, come quickly too! Cut the road!"

In a matter of minutes, 3 helicopters and half a dozen of police cars went searching for both Stevonnie and Kevin who were at each others' throats. Just some kilometers more and the end of the line would meet them. 

However, the sound of propellers compelled them to glance at the sky and they couldn't believe what they saw. The huge lanterns of the helicopters were pointed at them while an officer demanded them to stop immediately. 

To top it all, the end of the line was blocked by some police cars whose drivers were saying the same thing!

The two competitors halted and got out of their vehicles, nervous for what was coming next. 

Some officers put them in a police car and asked for their parents or tutors to inform them of what they had done. 

"Oh, come on! If my father finds out, he will get rid of my platinum credit card!" Kevin complained. 

"Too bad, kid. That happened because you didn't listen."

Stevonnie just remained silent, praying for Greg to bail them out. After all, if Pearl were to know about this, she would freak out and even poof. 

\-----------------

It only took half an hour for Stevonnie and Kevin to be freed. Thankfully for the fusion, Greg came to the rescue and paid for them to be pardoned for breaking the speed limit. 

The only reprimand the man gave them was to take seriously the laws of traffic and sign up for legal car racing. 

"Hey, Kevin." Stevonnie approached him before leaving the police station. The young man watched them with a raised eyebrow. "So, I know we don't get along for good reasons. But, still, I have to admit that you have talent in car racing. Not bad for a rematch if I say."

Kevin huffed arrogantly. "Not bad? For real? I have more than 10 sports cars of the best quality, included my Ferrari 488. More than not bad, I was born for this." He acted as if he was combing his hair with a hand before adding. "But, well, you showed some spark at the race. So, yeah, not bad to you either."

Stevonnie rolled her eyes and just raised a hand as a goodbye before following Greg outside where their cars were parked. 


	18. SU Movie Gone Wrong AU: Not Steven, just a copy

Shows were never Pink Steven’s, now called Ben, interest, but with everyone acting so weird around him, this is the best entertainment he could get.

Though, his emotionally dettached personality wasn't so fond of how expressive TV programms were.

_Those bullies may have been right about us not making many friends, but when push comes to shove, you only really need one._

Uhh, that felt pretty familiar.

Did the real Steven considered him a friend or just a power/life source?

_Without Ford I was just half of a dynamic duo. I couldn't make it without him._

It wasn't the same for Ben. He could fight and defend himself without problem. Steven needed him, but he didn't need Steven. However they were a duo. They were, right? Or Steven saw himself as a single being, not thinking of Ben as someone else?

_Thanks to one dumb mistake I had no brother, no home, no nothing. But I had a plan to fix everything._

Because of that gem, Spinel, Steven was gone. Killed. And there was no way to bring him back. She may have been defeated, but the outcome was the same.

_But when the summer's over, you give me my house back, you give me my name back, and this Mystery Shack junk is over._

What did he have that makes him _him_? Aside from his powers and the name Connie gave him, there was nothing else. Maybe interacting with the Gems, Greg and Connie, but they weren't his family. They were Steven's.

This appearence wasn't his, it was Steven’s. Ben had his face, his looks, his voice, but he wasn't Steven. He was just part of him, and the duo was over when Spinel killed him.

But if he's not Steven, who is he? Steven's gem? Steven's power source? Steven's life source?

Had he stolen things that made Steven _Steven_ like that human from that show?

Whenever the Gems looked at him, they swallowed their tears and tried to be as polite as they could. Greg was kind with him, but sometimes called him Steven and apologized profusely, saying it was nostalgia hitting him again. Connie hang out with Ben, though she talked a lot about Steven. Bismuth was respectful and showed a bit of sorrow whenever she glanced at him. Peridot avoided him for fear of his destructive abilities, and Lapis preferred to be as far away from him or pretend he didn't exist.

So, who is he? What is he?


	19. Post-I Am My Monster AU: What a father must do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: After Steven is brought back to normal, Greg makes a risky step to make up for his shortcomings.  
> For Marie_Nomad

Today had been the worst and most exhausting day of his life, and Greg had a long list of wacky adventures on his pocket. Still, watching his son's issues bursting at the seams and turning into a magenta, panicked version of Godzilla took the cake in an instant.

Who thought that this was going to happen? They were confronting Steven but without yelling or pointing fingers, they were just worried about him and then bum! He exploded. All those feelings carefully hidden, always repressed, simply put aside in a very dark corner of his mind until the pressure was too much and got out of control.

Greg never knew his Schtu-ball was suffering all this time. And there it was the problem, he never knew. He only assumed.

But shortsightedness could get you so far and do so much, and as a father, Greg had to always catch up with what was going on in Steven's life. Heck, that reminded him of what Priyanka scolded him about after the whole hospital incident.

_**'You have to be fucking kidding me, Greg?!' She had yelled at the man. The woman was beyond livid. Unable to believe what he had done, or more exactly, what he had never done. 'No hospital visits, no general check-ups, not even a general doctor! What the hell is all this?! Your fatherly duties compel you to take care of your son's wellbeing, not act as if they don't exist!'** _

Of course, back then he had good reasons to not go to hospitals even if now sounded like excuses.

**_'I couldn't just take him for a single shot without being ratted out to the authorities, Priyanka! I mean, he's a gem. He has powers, a gemstone where his belly button should be. He has never fallen ill! No flu, no stomach aches, nothing! I figured out it must be because of his powers. Besides, even if I tried, someone would have called the government and Steven would've been taken away. They would've experimented with him!'_ **

**_'Whether there were dangers or not, you should've kept trying! Do you how much his mental health has been jeopardized? He has been under threats for such a long time that he can't even have a normal day without feeling he is going to be killed or have to fight for his life! Seriously, if it were up to me, I would have called Child Services and put you and the Gems in jail for extreme child endangerment!'_ **

What was worse though were the memories of his little trip with Steven to his grandparents' house and how it ended. He grimaced with the images of his outraged and disappointed son; the hurt at finding out that his life lacked stability and rules. That there wasn't supervision at all.

Greg just wished he could correct the stupid nonsense he told Steven when they were returning home. He never envisioned himself as an overbearing and suffocating father who breathes on his child's neck 24/7 and put thousands of expectations on his young back.

Greg despised that kind of fatherhood. Time after he found out that Rose was pregnant, he was scared to turn out like one of his parents who were strict to an extreme.

Nothing he liked or any of his choices were enough for them. It was always _'My word is law, and you're wrong, Greggory'_. They never listened or cared to do it.

That's why he gave Steven all the freedom he didn't have as a youngster. Anything he chose to do, Greg would be supportive and proud of him. But unfortunately, he went too far and now Steven was like this.

Like an exposed nerve of the body, raw and vulnerable. Emotionally and mentally drained after such a mental breakdown, after spilling the awful, intrusive thoughts that were tormenting him.

The trauma that Greg, as a father, should've protected his son from.

What now, though? 

Steven was back to normal. Bismuth was repairing the Beach House with Lapis and Peridot's help. The Diamonds and Spinel were far away from the house to not overwhelm Shtu-ball, and the Gems and Connie were taking turns to keep an eye on him and comfort him.

But what was he doing?

He could be there for his son and this time try to balance the gem and human sides of Steven’s life, but the damage was too deep for a single act of kindness to make a difference.

This all happened because Greg didn't put rules or was absent when his kid needed him most.

He would have to find a more extreme solution for this.

\--------------------------

After some chit chat with Peridot and convincing her that he wasn't going to do something stupid with the artifact, Greg finally had the chance to correct his mistakes.

The hourglass, one of many of the Sea Spire (or the ones who miraculously survived), would take him to any moment of the past. It could be when he met Rose; when she told him she wanted to have a baby; when she was pregnant; when Steven was born. Which moment was the right one?

Then, in his mind appeared the image of a lightbulb turned on. Of course! The time when Steven summoned his shield. When his powers manifested the first time.

So, Greg went back to that day. His plan was simple but complex at the same time: he would live in the Beach House with Steven, being the human connection he needed and deserved, try to put him in an online school, set some rules, and maybe, just maybe, work things out with the Gems to prevent some family drama.

Whether they gave him a cold welcome or not, he was going to stay in the Beach House to provide Steven. They could complain all they wanted, but his choice was made already.

\------------------------------

This day couldn't get any better! Not only he activated his powers for the first time by summoning his shield, but Dad went to visit him and the Gems with the surprise that he was going to live here, in the Beach House! Permanently!

The Gems weren't that excited for that sudden change -especially Pearl-, but after some good, adult talking that Greg had told him was private, he could convince them. Heck, Dad even decided to be part of the team of the Crystal Gems to learn more about gem stuff and talk to Steven about signing him up into an online school!

_'Who knows, Schtu-ball. If you give it a try, you will learn and have fun. Maybe even make some good friends.'_

The hybrid boy was still processing everything that had happened today, though that he was happy, he was. Both sides of his family were going to live together, despite the awkwardness and annoyance the Gems showed at Greg's decision.

The only con against this big list of pros was the rules. According to Dad, Steven was still too young to go on missions, so the best age for him to start would be when he was a legal adult. That meant when he was 18. 5 years until then was waiting too much, even the Gems protested, but Dad adamantly refused to change his mind.

_'He can still learn about his mom, about you guys and gem stuff, as long as it respects the human stuff in his schedule.'_

The next rule was to have some boundaries in helping others, especially if it concerned family issues the Gems and Dad had, or any other challenge they were dealing with.

_'Don't worry, kiddo. We are doing our best. Just relax and enjoy being a kid.'_

All in all, life was going to change--no, it was changing and it would keep doing it. Steven wasn't sure if those changes would be good or bad, but whatever the future had in store for him he would face it with his whole family. And it was going to be fun!

_Here we are in the future, and it's bright!_


	20. Dimension/Travel AU: Disillusion - Truth revealed

In front of her was a rhomboid object, but not just any. This one was a Diamond Communicator. She remembered the stories Steven told her about when Peridot used that device to talk with Yellow Diamonds and ended up insulting in her face. Also according to Steven, this kind of technology could only be used by the Diamonds for important calls and warnings. Now, as Spanish Sapphire - whom Connie decided to nickname Caroline much to her chagrin- was explaining to her, the Diamond Communicator in front of the teenager had a message that was responsible for the outcomes during and after the Gem War, especially the anarchy taking over more space on Homeworld.

"Are you ready for this?" The gem asked the human who sighed to steel her nerves. This is it. The time had finally come. Some good answers were going to be put on the table.

"No. Let's do this."

Nephrite turned on the device which started levitating, then its size expanded to the point of being a rhomboid, colossal screen. Connie could notice how everyone tensed: Snowflake's eyes burnt with hatred; Nephrite looked away disappointed; and Biggs growled, barely keeping her rage at bay. Lapis' face was blank, but there was a bit of darkness on her features.

 _'For the love of God! What has Pink done this time?'_ Connie swallowed before putting all her attention on the events transpiring on the screen.

The scenery was dark, there wasn't a lot of illumination, but she could distinguish two people. Pearl and Pink Diamond.

Wait a second...

This was familiar...

_**And then we'll be done. It's going to be easy!** _

_**There's got to be another way. I mean, maybe-** _

_**Blue and Yellow don't care; they never have. This is Pink Diamond's colony. We can end it all right here, right now.** _

_'No way! How could someone know about this?!'_

The rest of the event unfold until the part when Pink ordered Pearl to not say anything about her true identity. And the screen returned to its blank state. 

Connie's mind couldn't quite process what she had watched. The huge reveal, Pink’s schemes, the whole Rose-and-Pink-being-the-same-person stuff. So, that's why the Crystal gems was a delicate issue for them because they had found out Pink had lied. 

But something was missing. As far as she knew, Pearl kept that secret safe for thousands of years, and Pink was clever enough to hide all the clues. So how exactly were they caught? 

Did someone from the Rebellion or Homeworld discover them? 

"I-I... I don't know what the heck is going on. I mean, who did this?! Who told you that Pink was Rose Quartz all along?" 

"No one," Biggs answered. "It was an anonymous source who worked from the shadows, that's our only hint. Whoever they were, they had planned this not to tell just the Rebellion but all Gemkind. Homeworld, rebels, the colonies, the Diamonds, everyone saw the recording. We have theorized too many times to count about the identity of that anonymous source, though one thing is clear, they did the impossible. After the whole debacle, they disappeared and we never heard of them again."

An anonymous source. That reminded her of the global community Anonymous who also operated in the shadows via the Internet and other ways. Still, there was no doubt that this evidence was powerful enough to change the course of the Gem War and destroy everything Pink had worked fo-- Oh no... Oh no! 

"What happened to Pearl?" Connie asked, going into full panic. If Biggs was true about the Diamonds being part of the audience that watched the recording, that meant she... 

"We don't know, to be honest." Snowflake responded morosely. "We looked for her after a while, but we could never find her. In the end, we concluded that by being Pink Diamond's Pearl, she was sent with her back to Homeworld."

"Back to Homeworld?! But then, that means..." _'That means she was punished. She was shattered or turned into a mindless puppet by White Diamond!'_

The girl didn't know what was worse. 

"Wait! What about Garnet? Ruby and Sapphire? Bismuth? Amethyst?" 

"There are a lot of Amethyst in the city to know who you're referring to," Lapis explained. "And about Ruby, she is here but...well... I suggest you not talk about Pearl, Pink, or the Crystal gems when she's around. Those things always piss her off. A lot." 

Connie's left hand went straight to her forehead, feeling utterly numb and lost due to the bomb of information she was shown. 

Things couldn't get worse, right? 


	21. Human AU: This isn't possible!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Gems reacts in different ways after discovering they have been turned into humans by a mysterious device.  
> For SML Cody

One moment they were gems, rock aliens, polymorphic sentient rocks, however you wanna call it.

And the next one, they found out they had human skin, their powers were gone, their gemstones had disappeared, and they were breathing. Breathing because hey! Humans need oxygen.

Goodbye to quasi-immortality. Goodbye to summoning weapons or not getting tired in seconds. Goodbye to defy planet's gravity and being only poofed if you are stabbed.

None of that mattered because they were human at that moment. And the Gems only know one thing about that.

Fragility.

Utter fragility.

"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!!!" Pearl screamed at the top of her now material lungs. She could feel the first teardrops of sweat running down her face and she hadn't done anything exhausting yet!

Steven supposed everyone else should be freaking out as much as Pearl was after finding out something turned them into humans; strangely enough, the other members of the Crystal Gems were taking this twist of events more 'maturely' for a lack of a better term.

Garnet, for example, was looking at both her hands with some worry but still stoic and serious as ever. Ruby and Sapphire's gemstones were supposed to be on the palm of her hands, but they were gone. That was weird as hell because if they were gone, wasn't Garnet supposed to be gone too then?

Anyway, she was still here so that was a pro despite how bizarre it felt.

Amethyst had an enormous shit-eating grin. Now being human would give her more chances to explore how digestion worked! Which led her to the Beach House refrigerator to devour everything she could grab. Of course, Greg had to stop her by saying that a glutton's feast would end up with a serious stomach ache or worse.

Meanwhile, Lapis and Peridot shot each other shocked glances and checked over themselves, barely able to process such a drastic change.

"Is it me or have you just gotten a bit smaller, Peri?"

"Who cares?!" Peridot responded, her mind analyzing desperately the situation to find a good explanation for this. "We're human, Lapis! HUMAN! This is beyond unspeakable! No, no! Whatever this is it has beaten the odds of rarity and madness! We are gems after all! There is no way something or someone could've changed what we are! Besides, why aren't you freaking out?!"

"Meh, it's funnier watching Pearl doing all the frenzy work." The blue gem smiled smugly, pointing at an over panicked Pearl who was in a fetal position, rocking back and forth mumbling 'What are we going to do? What am I going to do? Oh stars, help me' and whatnot.

The next days, the human members of the family -Steven, Greg, and Connie- started what they called 'Human school for the Crystal Gems' so their friends could understand the basics of being a human: general health, what they can do, what they can’t do, what they shouldn't do, etc.

For instance, eating lots of junk food wasn't healthy, a lesson Amethyst didn't like at all because it meant there would be limits in her diet. Also, humans can't and shouldn't eat objects like baseball balls, plates, and others; that was another boomer for Amethyst.

The second aspect was the ailments humans had to deal with. They ranged from bothersome to critical. In that case, Peridot and Garnet had something in common. Garnet had been looking at herself in the mirror and noticed both of her eyes didn't match in color. The right one was a brownish red, the left one was an icy blue.

Connie explained then the nature of birth mutations, how they affected everyday life, though, in Garnet's case, it was just heterochromia. A mutation in the eyes that made them appear different concerning the color.

It wasn't that bad in the end. Even Steven liked the colors of her eyes.

Peridot, on the other hand, had issues with her vision spheres. She could see objects close to her, but when it came to be meters or kilometers away, then everything was blurry and difficult to distinguish.

"You might have myopia. If I'm not wrong, then you’ll need glasses."

"The same size of the visor I used to have?"

"More or less."

The Gems learned a lot about humanity in the next weeks. For some of them, it was a fascinating experience, for others like Pearl, it was overwhelming and terrifying. Still, now that they lacked powers, they should put themselves through a strict regime of training to defend each other and defeat any enemy that threatened their home. An activity that gave Pearl some comfort because Connie this time acted as the teacher, putting into practice everything the thin gem had taught her.

Of course, there were some incidents during the human-stuff classes like the time when, as a way to get revenge, Connie pushed Lapis who was on the edge of a pool for practice swimming. The former gem, not knowing how to swim yet, almost drowned until Garnet rescued her.

Next, a shouting match between Lapis and Connie began which Greg and Pearl had to take care of before it escalated to a physical fight.

So, yeah, life, as it looked like, would be more risky and dangerous but interesting too. 


	22. Mr. Universe AU part 2: Roxy's life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my brain is almost dry on ideas for new prompts. That means that for the next days, I will take care of the prompts some of you have given me in the comments section.   
> Finally, have a Merry Christmas everyone :)!

When a baby is born, you could say that for the family that is the most beautiful and happiest day of their lives. However, for Roxy was the total opposite.

When she was born, there wasn't celebration or smiles around her, or people cooing at her, saying how cute she looked. Instead there was outrage, yelling and chaos.

Why though? Easy peasy, because everyone found out that she was Pink Diamond's daughter, not Rose Quartz's, which shouldn't have happened. After all, the only ones who knew about Pink's dual identity were Pink herself and Pearl.

But fate and the whole universe decided to tear the unstable family apart. Roxy's gemstone wasn’t in a position that could have prevented the truth to be discovered; it was upsidedown, showing its Diamond-like splendor because, duh, it was a diamond. Not only that, Roxy's hair was curly a fluffly, with some pinkish spots here and there, and her right eye had a rhomboid-like pupil. Just like a Diamond.

In a matter of seconds, Garnet's form desestabilized and unfused. An enraged and betrayed Sapphire started screaming about Rose being a liar, that she trusted her, that she and Ruby were deceived, that Garnet was a product of Rose’s lies. Pearl tried to calm her down, apologizing for not telling them this sooner even when she wanted to, though that set Sapphire off much worse. The seer figured out with that apology that Pearl had been lying to them too and froze her legs in a fit of rage before running away. Ruby ran to catch her, pleading to her lover to stop.

"What is going on?" Amethyst had murmured back then. She couldn't understand what was happening, if it was a cruel prank or not.

One moment, Rose was gone because she gave birth to her child; the next one, a horrible truth was revealed. Rose wasn't who she said she was, she lied to everyone, and Pearl had been helping her too.

Amethyst felt as if the foundation of her identity and self-esteem stopped existing at that moment. If it was true that Rose was Pink Diamond all along, that she lied all this time, then did that mean that everything she had told the purple quartz was a bunch of crap too?

Rose always said Amethyst was perfect the way she was, that she didn't need to prove anything, just enjoy being herself. Those words were a sacred mantra for her, but now they tasted like vomit.

Because if Rose pretended to be someone else, what did that say about her teachings to the quartz?

So yeah, Amethyst also crumbled. She didn't left like Sapphire and Ruby, but her brash, fun-loving demeanor turned somber and quieter.

Meanwhile, Greg had to maintain a strong facade to prevent more people from leaving. Her daughter needed that, and right now, the only ones who could help him raise her were Pearl and Amethyst. Though, after witnessing how the Crystal Gems fell apart and disbanded because of Rose's deceptions, he wondered if they could survive this mess.


	23. Google AU: Fame on the Internet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven googles himself.  
> For Zoe

Fame was never an interest for Steven. Sure, it sounded fantastical to be applauded and admired. The hugs, the autographs, saying hello to a sea of fans who screamed his name in pure ecstasy. Knowing they were waiting for his next performance if you could call every adventure of his that.

However, it was also exhausting coming from someone whose legacy was as mixed and nuanced as Steven’s. Son of the leader of the Crystal Gems who also was one of the Diamonds, the rulers of Homeworld. Fighting for his life to prove he wasn't her and fixing her mistakes, meeting the people she has hurt. Yeah, those were some cons of such a weird blow of fame for him.

Though, now that concept and everything that it entailed changed once his name was written in Google. When Peridot had told him she had discovered how humans described her in that 'popular, global searching system of the web', it was in a plethora of yells, curses, and complaints.

"How can they consider me a mere, lifeless rock?! I mean, yeah, I am a rock because of my gemstone and my name, but I'm more than that!"

Steven chuckled and explained to her the differences between gems and rocks on Earth and the ones on Homeworld. Such irony, to be honest, the planet where his mom came from was so devoid of life, with only gems doing their business in an endless, monotonous routine. Meanwhile, Earth was filled with many kinds of life, except rocks. Gems and rocks were simply accessories or resources for humans.

Anyway, Peridot asked him how humans described Steven. Not the ones of Beach City, especially Greg and Connie, but people who had never met him.

Bizarre question, honestly. Curiosity still got the better of him and asked for Peri to used for a second her tablet and find out.

When he clicked on the 'Search' option of Google after writing his name, the surprise before him and Peridot left them speechless.

There was a long, no no, an extremely expansive list of options about Steven and many aspects of his life. In fact, it went beyond his TubeTube channel when he was a kid: theories of secret identities and conspiracies about his mom, posts about what his powers could do, photos about his adventures, web pages depicting fanfiction about him, his life and friends, fanart even!

He pressed on the 'Images' option of Google, an ocean of multiple fanarts pictures and photos with a 'Rebecca Sugar's interview' phrase attached to them caught the boy's attention.

Despite the overwhelming astonishment, Steven had to admit it, the fan artists were incredibly talented, gifted even. Maybe if he met one of them, he would congratulate them for their hard work.

On the other hand, he wondered if this new kind of fame was edging on violation of his privacy, because who could they have known about all these things?

Ronaldo and his blog came to his mind, although, Steven wasn’t able to comment on that theory because Peridot yelled indignantly:

"Oh come on! They made fan art of you but not of great and lovable Peridot?!" 


	24. Peripals AU: Clash of perspectives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Peridot and Squaridot have an argument that opens Peridot's eyes to some things about her former enemy.  
> For SETUP

"Come on, Squaridot! It has been months since I sent you the last invitation to join other gems on Little Homeschool and you're still ignoring me!" Peridot was beyond confused. Sure, they were enemies, but things were different now.

The gempire was being dismantled smoothly. Many gems have accepted the new order that allowed freedom, self-expression, and compassion in every colony, the Diamonds weren't in charge anymore. This was Squaridot's chance to immerse her mind in better things than following orders and destroy planets.

The other Peridot rolled her eyes while debating if explaining why her hesitance in embracing all those changes was a good idea or not. Even when she stopped being antagonistic against Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems -who would've thought that weird kid was the offspring of the supposed-to-be-dead Pink Diamond?!- it didn't mean she was going to run back to Earth and say 'Hey, is there some space for me in your wacky school?'.

She had her reasons. Logical and unpleasant reasons. 

"Look, 5XG,"

"It's Peridot. Just Peridot," the green gem corrected her much to her annoyance.

"Yeah, whatever. Listen, I'm grateful your friends have freed me from the bubble, but let's not forget that THEY have put me there in the first place!"

"Because you were doing something wrong!" Peridot argued.

"I was doing my job! I was following orders. Nothing else."

"Should I remind you that those orders would have caused such havoc on Earth? Hessonite was searching for a sentient device that held a dangerous power. She wanted to keep weaponizing it for her own gain. Success on your orders would've meant destruction for us!"

"How was I supposed to know about that?! Orders were orders. I wasn't allowed to ask for information!"

"Well, just so you know, I also followed orders of Yellow Diamond that threatened Earth and its living beings until Steven and the Gems changed my mind."

"Oh sure," Squaridot groaned inwardly, crossing her limb-enhancer arms. "I bet bubbling you just for doing what you were commanded for and then released in a drastically different era, stripped of everything you knew was the strategy of the century that 'enlightened' your mind." 

An objection was rising to the surface within Peridot, although the bitter words of Squaridot gave her a lot of think about. She hated to admit it but she was right. And looking at the do-you-have-another-argument face of her former enemy was enough to quell any kind of opinion that could serve her to win in this discussion. 

"Ok, fine. I get it. I wasn’t unbubbled when a new era started, so I don't have a tinniest idea of the difficulties you might be going through and the doubts about these changes. And also, yeah... We kind of messed up with you because we interfered with your job which motivated you to find other solutions and placed you in an uncomfortable, unsafe position when you were trapped by that crazy computer."

"Until you finally figure it out," grumbled Squaridot. 

"But still, I mean... The era of obeying the Diamonds blindlessly is gone, over. All the gems are free, now. You're free! You don't have to be afraid about failing a mission when they aren't in charge anymore. Off-colors, fusions, any kind of gem can do and be whatever they want. Why not take that chance?"

"As promising and bright as Era 3 sounds, it's not the same for everyone. One moment I was doing my job, the next one I was being released after a torturous event and I found out many aspects of Homeworld had changed. It will take me time to process this. You and I might have faced the Crystal Gems, but the outcome is far from being the same. You had time to analyze their system of work, and I didn't. You could find a place between them, a new purpose, a new home, a new goal to fulfill, I'm barely grasping what's going on. There won't be happy faces everywhere, grateful for being freed from the Diamonds. Others will be lost, confused, and even hurt by not knowing what to do now. Maybe the gempire end means new opportunities for low-cast gems like us, but don't you dare to generalize. The situation is more complex than that. So, if according to you I am free, then you should respect my choices and let me figure out what to do with myself now that there is no sense in being a Diamond-loyalist anymore. You found your way to move on, now let me find mine."

Within Peridot, a nagging voice confirmed what she didn't want to hear, Squaridot was right again and she had all the right to start anew on her own terms despite what Peridot considered best for her fellow gem. Sighing in defeat, the former kindergartener scratched the back of her neck before thinking of a better way to end this discussion without hard feelings. 

"Alright, your arguments make a lot of sense. It's your freedom after all. No one decides what to do with it but you. Also... I admit that I was kind of projecting much of my experiences and teachings on you. I saw myself in you and forgot you're your own gem. Well, even if you don't want to join Little Homeschool, the least I can do is giving you support and my best wishes for anything the future has in store for you. So, good luck and take care, Squaridot."

The other Peridot nodded gratefully and respectfully albeit with a bit of grumpiness before turning around and leaving. 


	25. Futuristic AU sequel: (R)evolutionary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: 2100, a new era for human technology, and a lot for the Gems to process.   
> For LP-RIPPER24 Fan

Technology means progress. In progress there are improvements. With improvements, change comes.

And change living with you means nothing will be the same. Whether the future promised an era of equality or modernity, or war and corruption, only time would say.

Right now, the Gems were processing the extensive list of changes that had permeated their lives. Their eyes then directed at Steven and his tech uniform.

From afar, he seemed normal. A pink jacket, blue jeans, sandals, nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the fingerless gloves, the dark green bag, and his headphones hid some secrets that could be the difference between life and death. His backpack acted as an extension of his shield, protecting his bag as if it were the shell of a turtle.

He was able to decipher the most intricate of ambushes with his headphones who activated a holographic visor to give him all the information he needed.

And his gloves were built to electrocute anyone with a single punch. Lethal, practical, effective.

Steven wasn't a little kid anymore and the world stopped being swarmed by greedy corporations and ruthless gangsters whose wars put civilians in extreme danger.

Society was healing, learning from its mistakes, researching to reach prosperity not for the elites, a little section who possesses all the wealth, but for everyone.

You could see like the Gems did every day. Whenever Pearl went shopping for groceries, she would cross paths with people whose lives had been improving thanks to technology.

Cyborg enhancers. Arms, legs, implements for the ill in case of organ failure. The list was extensive and kept growing, the possibilities too.

With all the trouble the abuse of tech had caused, it was time to make up for it by turning every idea into an improvement for life, human, and animal.

And that was what Steven was showing them in his little pet project: an endangered species sanctuary.

It had the size of 3 zoos, well-equipped, well-maintained, modern, and safe for every animal who had been 'modified' by the cyborg extensions. You could spot a tiger with a bionic leg to replace the one it lost in a vicious fight with a corrupted gem. A bird whose wings are cyborg enhanced because they had been brutally damaged.

Even aquatic animals wore prostheses that improved their lives. 

"The Diamonds never believed organic form could develop or have the potential to do so. But look at all this, guys. They have proved them wrong! This planet is so full of different paths to take, humanity has progressed so much! It's beyond anything we could've imagined!" Rose gushed in utter pride and happiness.

Before this era, she was made to believe only gems were capable of mastering technology. She couldn't be more grateful to see there were more individuals able to do the same even if they weren't gems.

Transport, health, safety, comfort, fighting styles, you could name it and the gadget it was built for would appear.

Life was changing at a rate never expected by anyone, with a new sense of duty and peace. Maybe it lasts, maybe it won't. Still, the Gems acknowledged that humanity had it in itself to surprise them, and they would keep doing it. 


	26. Human AU sequel: Just a tiny bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The next lesson for the Gems in their new lifestyle is everything Pearl has hated.  
> For SML Cody

In the last 5 months, the Crystal Gems, old and new, had been adapting to their new lives as fully fleshed humans, learning the shoulds and shouldn'ts, investigating as much as they could to not let anything pass that might be crucial if they wanted to not die accidentally. 

One of the most important lessons Steven, Greg, and Connie imparted to them was human sustenance, which meant food and water. For Amethyst, it was the best day of her life. The others were mildly interested. Pearl, on the other hand, was utterly horrified and disgusted, as if someone had whispered in her ear the most vulgar of obscenities. 

Almost all her body wanted to scream and run away. The end of the world was a blessing compared to this torture, but Steven worked hard to convince her, saying that without food she wouldn't make it after a long time. 

"I can try with water, but what Amethyst loves to swallow is beyond my limits, Steven!" 

"You can't live with only drinking water, Pearl. I mean, it's healthy to never forget that element in your diet, but your body needs more than that to keep working." Connie explained, as a backup to prevent her mentor from leaving. 

Puppy eyes and many other physiological reasons were enough for Pearl to give in, despite her deep disdain for those classes. She could barely watch at her comrades when they tasted different kinds of food to figure out their favorites. 

Amethyst was obvious from the start. She loved everything she could chew, though what she never approved was the limits on a diet for safety and health. "Limits are so lame, man." The short woman complained.

Garnet was a mix of hot and cold snacks and entries. From chocolate ice cream to a hamburger recently cooked. Pearl pondered if it was a slight influence from Ruby and Sapphire's elemental powers: pyrokinesis and cryokinesis. 

Peridot found chewing gums fascinating because a snack that you can turn into a balloon? How could've imagined it? 

Doritos kind of amused her and their flavor was addicting to her. Lapis teased her about perpetrating cannibalism due to the shape of the snack. 

Concerning the former blue gem, Lazuli found out she had some resilience when it came to spicy foods. Heck, Amethyst mixed some hot sauces in her plate one day as a prank, and Lapis only grimaced and groaned for some minutes before ending her meal and flipping Amethyst the finger at the same time. 

What about Pearl though? Did she eat something? 

Welp, at the start, she refused. No matter who came to change her mind or how many times she was begged to eat to ensure her health was ok, the veteran warrior shook her head in negative. 

"Pearl, I get it that you hate that, but you're not a gem anymore. You're a human. Human needs food. At much, you will last some months before your own body starts eating itself!" 

Eating itself? Bah! Such a ludicrous and ridiculous imagination Greg had. Still, a nagging voice in her head scolded her for her stubbornness because it could cost her highly.

But the wait wasn't that long, thankfully, because Garnet, despite being human, hadn't lost her touch in being wise and convincing. 

"A tiny bite, Pearl. It's a little start. You can hate food all you want and we will understand, but your health is a priority now. And it doesn't have to be overwhelming."

She nodded with dread coursing through her veins. The next day, the day of the truth as Amethyst called it, Greg had prepared a single pancake. 

Eggs, milk, flour, baking soda. Nothing of sugar or any other sweet or salad ingredient for the snack to be as bland and bearable for the old Crystal Gem. 

Steven and Connie were holding cheerleader pom-poms and tiny flags that said 'Go, Pearl!', 'Pearl #1' as a way to encourage her. 

The rest of the group were surrounding the woman without making her feel suffocated. Delicately and with as much determination, Pearl cut a small piece of the pancake and opened her mouth some centimeters. The slice of food was closing in albeit slowly, too slowly, so much that even a stranger had pondered if the people inside the Beach House was stuck in time or a slow-camera motion. 

Amethyst had fallen asleep minutes ago. Peridot was enraptured in the apps of her tablet. Greg was washing the dishes and keeping an eye on things sometimes. Garnet was patient and stoic. Steven and Connie were mentally singing songs of encouragement. And Lapis...

"Could you eat the fucking pancake already?! At this rate, we'll get old!" 

She was beyond exasperation. 

"Don't break my concentration, Lazuli. It's not that easy." Pearl argued. 

A bit of the slice of the pancake was finally placed between her teeth, and the veteran pushed harder to order her mouth to chew that piece, even if it was less than 5% of it. 

Then she chewed more, slowly and hesitantly, tasting the breakfast meal until Pearl swallowed it with a grimace.

"Wooohooo! Pearl did it!" Steven and Connie screamed overjoyed which woke Amethyst up. 

The children hugged her proudly while Garnet and Greg applauded. 

"Well, test's over I guess." Peridot opined, Lapis sighed in relief. 

"Wow wow wow! Wait a second, guys!" Amethyst stopped the celebration with clear annoyance and outrage in her eyes. "Are you telling me Pearl did the impossible and none of you woke me up to see it?!" 


	27. Bubbled in Space AU: Ruby always wins!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Eyeball seizes her moment of fame, or doesn't she? Warning: blood and major character death.  
> For TheShiningBread

Imagine two short people, A and B. A is the chased one, B is the enemy. Both are trapped in a bubble big enough for them to move, and that bubble is floating in the middle of space!

Sounds like some weird attempt at comedy. However, for Steven, right now, it was a struggle to survive one of many attacks against his life due to being mistaken for Rose.

"I'm gonna getcha! I'm gonna take your gem and bring it back!"

"Nooo! Don't take my gem! Wait, what is going to happen to me?" Good question, too bad Eyeball didn't give him time to ponder on the possibilities.

"Please, wait! I'm not my mom! I don't wanna hurt you!" Maybe reason with her would work. "Just think for a second. We are in this bubble, in the middle of space. How are you going to return to Homeworld without a ship?"

Eyeball slapped him viciously. "Don't think for a second that you will change my mind and escape from this! I'll take your gem, I'll be a legend, and everyone will know that the traitorous" one of her hands aimed at his neck and strangled him. "Rose Quartz" The squared-pointed dagger stabbed at his stomach, between the skin and the edge of his gemstone. "was defeated" Eyeball twisted the dagger violently while her other hand grabbed the gemstone by its facets. "by me! RUBY!!!"

With an abrupt pull, Steven's most important organ was ripped from him. The bubble dissipated in a rain of pinkish sparks, leaving a bloody and motionless child to hover like a ghost in the expanse of the universe. 

Eyeball couldn't care less. Her triumphant laughter reverberated through all her body and gemstone, grinning like a maniac due to the golden prizes she would be given by the Diamonds. 

Her own Pearl pampering her endlessly, gems of the aristocracy bowing at her in respect, legions and warships working for her! Her! 

Ruby, the avenger! 

Ruby, who brought justice to Pink Diamond! 

Ruby, who defeated the despicable leader of the Crystal Gems! 

Her glee blinded her, though, of the fact that what she was holding wasn't a Rose Quartz gemstone, but a diamond and it was starting to shine. 


	28. Post-I Am My Monster AU: Foolish and wild youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Vidalia and Steven have a chit chat about Rose and being a wild youngster sometime after his corruption.  
> For Marie_Nomad

Of all the people that visited him after his mental breakdown and transformation, Vidalia was the individual he felt it was a good idea to talk about certain things he couldn't with his family.

Yep, the topic was about his mom.

Dad had recounted the time when Vidalia painted Rose’s portrait, the same one he put inside Lion's mane. Not much was known about V's opinion of Rose Quartz apart from calling her a space lady, space goddess due to her powers, and the many times she listened to Greg gushed about the love of his life.

Still, she was better than nothing, right? And hey, a non-related or not-too-close acquaintance of mom could give him some news perspective of the woman who gave him life (and an unnecessary amount of trauma).

"Have you never felt that something was off about her, you know, mom? Maybe that she was secretive or too caught up to listen?"

"Everyone is blinded by their own problems, kiddo. But just curious, why the question?"

Steven debated if being honest could get him anywhere or not, but she was this outside point of view that might help him with his mommy issues, and he had made a question already.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm living her life. A life full of screwups, useless expectations, and then bursting through the seams. Like... Maybe I'm just her outlet because there was nothing good in her life to keep going. Homeworld was horrible, the Diamonds were cruel to her, she made plenty of mistakes, and she couldn't face the fact that the list of people hating her was longer than her own family." After a long pause and a heavy sigh, he continued. "She wanted to be herself and Earth was that path to freedom, but she kept failing. I want to be myself, but I have to be what the others wanted me to be to not disappoint them, which wasn't the best of ideas. We are a mirror of each other and I hate it! I'm so young and still, I feel as if I should be strong, but I don't have anything figured out!"

"Well, Steven. That's youth for you. No one has their life totally planned. Life is not a diagram to draw and upgrade. It's messy and fun, dangerous and wonderful. You fail and you learn. When you said that your mother's home sucked and many things were expected from her, it reminded me of a speech she gave me when we talked a long time ago."

"A speech?"

"Yep. I was a single mother. Marty Mr. Asshole disappeared like the weasel he was, and my family only spoke to me to rub my mistakes on my face instead of lending me a hand. I felt like a failure. I was desperate for a solution. I told Rose once, 'I wished I had your powers. You are always excited for a new day'. Me, on the other hand, had to fight with nails and teeth to provide for myself and my Sour Cream. However, Rose said 'If you knew'."

"If you knew?"

"Yep, very short, but straightforward as heck."

Wait, wait, that's it? That was his mom's oh-so-wise speech? Wasn't it more behind or a secret message?

"Sorry, kid. No secret message or code to decipher." V responded, having figured out what Steven wanted to know.

"But, how did you react about it?"

"No words at all. And honestly, I was a bit angry. Offended. I thought she was acting as if being a powerful lady from space was harsher when I was dealing with motherhood and a total lack of support from my parents. But, when time passed, I wondered if she had fought that much as me to be or try to be resilient for the sake of others, like the Crystal Gems, or to make sure her sanity didn't fall apart. I didn't know anything about her. Her friends, Pearl especially as you had explained to me, were the only ones who saw the raw, the worst, the lost, the many ugly sides of her. If I'm right on that, of course. Fuck, even the vulnerability. And that side is the most painful to show to the world, even if it was only family and friends. I mean, when I found out I was pregnant and that Marty didn't want anything to do with fatherhood or Sour Cream, I felt ashamed of myself to let my life go this out of control. I was terrified. So young, my future now had a baby, his father was an imbecile with balls instead of a brain, and there was no plan in my pockets. My only option was calling my parents and guessed what they told me."

"Uh, no?" Steven answered.

"They said: 'So much trouble you've caused with your nonsense and now you're pregnant? Why don't you crawl back to whoever you've slept with in the pigsty you are? Better that than wasting our time and shaming us again!' And then they hung up. The shock couldn't let me process the fact that they'd rather act as if I don't exist than giving me some support. I had to fend for myself."

"Yeeesh, I'm so sorry about that." What kind of family would do that to their own child for a single mistake?

Then his imagination took him to a parallel reality where a devastated Pink Diamond, not knowing what to do to heal the corrupted gems, tried desperately to contact the Diamonds and told them everything. The fake shattering plan, where the Crystal Gem base was, who were the members, etc. Pink begged for help to fix the mess she had caused, but instead of some mercy, White, Blue and Yellow punished her by putting her in that tower on Homeworld forever while bubbling or even shattering Pearl and Garnet.

And Pink would hate herself much more. Wondering if she could've changed fate if she had a chance, regretting her choices, especially asking for help from the same family that hurt her, the same one she ran away from.

Depressing, being aware that support wasn't going to be given by the people who were supposed to protect you.

"Is that what your parents have seen in you?"

"They had plans for my life, kid," Vidalia explained, morosely. "One of them was being a nurse in a church. All devoted and stuck in a single place, helping people. No offense to the ones who work there, but I wished for more. I knew there was more beyond what my folks wanted me to do. It had to be my choice, I had to be willing to be that perfect image they had constructed, and life showed them a different picture. I loved adventure, exploring new places, going all wild. Heck if I had resigned myself to work as a nurse just to make them happy, I wouldn't have dealt with so many hardships, but I doubt I would've reached my potential. My folks may have thought they knew what was best for me, but I'm responsible for my joy. It's up to me to figure out how to be content and satisfied."

"Kind of sounds like mom." Old memories resurfaced in his consciousness. When he saw Pink and Yellow arguing, how Yellow dismissed Pink and told her to act as a ruler. The anger of his mother for being ignored, neglected, never taken seriously. When Blue delivered punishment by making her cry with her powers and imprisoned her in the tower due to the incident at the ball. When White acted all condescending, controlling, waiting for Pink to misbehave or fail to prove mom was a hopeless case, a failure.

Every time Pink's ideas to impress her fellow Diamonds fell short or they didn’t care to notice that she was hurting.

Being a proper Diamond wasn't her real goal, just a way to be visible.

Then she had Earth and her own identity started blooming. Mom found out there was more than impressing others to feel validated. In Pearl, Garnet, Bismuth, Dad, and many other people, Pink found the love and understanding she craved. The things her Homeworld family failed to provide her.

Still, the mistakes she had made and the repercussions would never leave, and he had to fight and suffer while fixing everything. Was that what youth meant in the end?

"What about everyone who was hurt? Every time I dream for a little break, another misdeed destroys that chance. When Spinel attacked the Earth, well before that, my family and I were enjoying retirement. Happily Ever After. I figured out back then people never stop growing and learning, so, wishing for 'And they lived happily forever' is useless. But if it's useless, then what? Should I just try to get over this fuckup of fuckups mom inadvertently put me through until another enemy whom Pink pissed off stupidly knocks at my door with a laser gun?"

"Steven, if there is one thing you should know about life is that is more complex than fairy tales, though you can still make it look like one. But you have to do it wisely."

"What do you mean?"

"Happily ever after is cliche and overrated. So cliché even Disney is in love with the idea." Steven chuckled a bit. "However, contentment can be a goal. Everyone deserves to feel loved, to feel victorious, accepted, respected, safe, understood. It is a path full of traps and deceptions though. There will be days we are close to throwing the towel, and days we are unstoppable and become someone worth looking up to. Every second, every minute is a chance to reach that goal and after that, well, it's up to us to protect that joy, share it, learn from the past and make the best of it. You can manage to be at peace and be responsible to keep it that way without disturbing anyone else. Maybe that's where your mom failed millions of times. Youth is unique and a one-shot chance, if you can't find a way to nurture it while learning, it will turn into a crux created by your worst regrets and memories. Trust me, mine is a mix of that and having made friends like Amethyst and your old man. Childhood, youth, adulthood, every aspect of life is a golden opportunity to bloom, be the best version of yourself, and exploit your talents. Don't forget, though, that you will never know how far you will come unless you keep trying. Your mom may have given up, but despite the hurt of her mistakes, you're still alive and will find your moment to thrive. Even if it'll take a lot of hard work."

Hard work was the least of his issues. He lived and persevered in potentially threatening situations. Years of missions, deadly fights, enemies after enemies, and almost losing his life taught him how to be prepared for anything. 

This time the whole journey would be different. It wasn't about saving the world or his family from a murderous monster or a bloodthirsty war. The real matter was his mental health and he was so young. It wasn't fair dealing with this being a kid. He loved helping people; it turned him into a monster. 

He wished for a happy ending; he was stuck in the past and running from a solution he didn't want to face. Was he doing the same missteps as his mom? Maybe. Perhaps a change was needed. 

No, he did need it. 

Time and work were the last of his worries. What frightened him more was falling into the same trap as Pink. Giving up on some sort of peace because the climb was exhausting when life had in store good stuff for you. 

Heck, Steven was 16, he should be celebrating his accomplishments, being a wild youngster, savor some freedom and make mistakes without the urge of bottling up his feelings. 

It was time to recover what was left of his youth and make the best of it. 

It was time to bloom. 


	29. I Am My Monster AU: You feel your sins crawling on your back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: White witnessed the horrors Steven went through by using her powers.  
> For Marie_Nomad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

For being an intergalactic, dictatorial ruler with a hand of steel, White wasn't the most common-sense or logical person.

At first, seeing Steven in such a hideous form gave her the creeps and shocked in a way that she never thought she would feel, but those emotions would reach their breaking point once she entered into his psyche, which she did.

It was a huge mistake though.

White couldn't process the despairing fog of feelings, overly negative, conflictive, destructive, and self-destructive whose influence was tainting Steven’s judgment.

All the images in front of her eyes shrunk her, minimized her powers for there was nothing she could do against the psychological hell of the hybrid.

The torturous wasteland created by years of trauma, danger, and severely repressed feelings. Starlight's subconscious was like a high-pressure cooker whose controls were broken, the cracks getting bigger and deeper, letting everything out with a dangerous speed.

The pain, the self-hatred, the anger, the confusion, the depression, the anxiety, the fear, the disgust, the outrage.

All of them mixed and became a black, stenching ocean of brea who took the shape of Pink, then Rose Quartz, then Steven, then many of his family members and friends. 

Not a single face, it was a twisted collage of many faces plastered in a being; disfigured, violent, reeking of toxicity. The creature, monster, or whatever that thing was had hundreds of eyes.

Each of them replaying like a broken record of horrible moments. When Steven almost died trying to reach Pearl and she didn't save him. When Amethyst transformed into Rose Quartz. When Ruby and Sapphire were fighting. When Garnet unfused after she found out Rose was Pink. When Pearl was poofed. When Amethyst almost shattered. When Blue and Yellow attacked Steven on Homeworld. When Lars died in front of him. Heck, the worst part was when she, White Diamond, almost killed him by ripping his gem out of his belly.

The entrance lasted seconds, but it was enough to shook White to her very core. Much worse than when Steven almost shattered her on her palace.

The embodiment of sinful ways scarring a child's mind. 


	30. Reckless and rebellious AU sequel: The big leagues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Out of jail, Stevonnie and Kevin bond with legal car racing with some friends of them.  
> For Need for Speed guy

Nascar, Formula 1, WRC, D1 Grand Prix, Super Formula.

Multiple options to start in the racing car sport and all of them came from the professional, the ones whose faces were in TV or newspapers for days.

For Stevonnie it sounded like a fantasy to boost your adrenaline. For Kevin, it was amusement easy to get due to the millions of dollars on his bank account and the family fortune.

But today there weren't more rivalries, issues, or a fight to reach the last line inside a car. Today everything focused on a bunch of young people choosing a fancy racing car, talking about who would be the fastest of all, and fun on wheels.

A file of the most modern and technological sports cars was shown to Stevonnie, the Pizza twins, Ronaldo, Sour Cream, and Buck. All courtesy of Kevin for the ceremony of initiation to a professional racing car.

Stevonnie was beyond words at the luxury and resilience of every vehicle scanned by their eyes. Though they believed many of them were more to show off how much money was used, the fusion bet they could win in a matter of time, and there were no police officers in their way anymore.

"Ready for the rematch of your life?" Kevin challenged, arrogant, and overconfident as ever. 

"You're so on!" They picked a cobalt blue Lexus LC. Greg, who was sitting where the audience belonged, exclaimed before the race began. "Be careful, guys! Just because this is a legal racing car, it doesn't mean it's not dangerous!" 

Kiki and Ronaldo entered into a scarlet Lamborghini Huracán. Buck chose a dark grey Audi R8. Sour and Jenny agreed on driving a golden Jaguar F-TYPE. 

Finally, Kevin walked to his best choice: a platinum Chevrolet Corvette Z06. 

The referee enumerated all the rules and limits for the competition. Raising his white-and-black flag, he counted from 10 to 1, every number adding more enthusiasm to the race. The motors roars were overlapping each other to prove who would be the winner, but anxious energy could be let out once the number 1 went to 0 and the flag moved from up to down. 

Stevonnie and Kevin stomped on the gas pedals leaving the others behind, typical of their competitive natures.

The Cool Kids and Ronaldo were doing their best at catching up; still, for every lap made, there were left 2 more to run. 

Lexus LC and Chevrolet Corvette Z06 fought endlessly, close to each other, some seconds surpassing the other rival. 

The wheels made friction in the curves, trailing of smoke floating in the sky. No one willing to give up and having the best time of their lives. Speed at its purest form. 

The engines shook the asphalt roaring like beasts, Greg felt he was going to lose the sense of hearing at this point, but fortunately, the competition was over. 

A tie. 

An obvious conclusion if you have two excited and strong individuals wanting to show who was best. Though, the old man was happy that this time, the racing car was within the limits of professionalism. 


	31. Human AU Part 3: Now there are two more!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: What a surprise! Spinel and Jasper were also affected!  
> For SML Cody

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!!!!" A single kick to the door summed to a roar of a scream was enough to catch the Crystal Gems' attention alongside Steven, Connie, and Greg's.

Here they were. Jasper and Spinel. However, they looked different. Human, in fact.

No dared to say anything for the shock enraptured them in the images their eyes were scanning. Two of their former enemies were now humans, through and through. Jasper was as muscular, aggressive, and imposing as ever, but she had a dark tone of skin, a bit more than Lapis'. Her body was decorated with some white-ish marks as if someone had burnt her or stroke a paintbrush on her arms, on her face.

'It must be vitiligo.' Connie concluded numbly, her mind still processing the current events.

"Uh, hello~? We need a hand here." Spinel intervened, her smile betraying her nervousness. "Do any of you--?" Then she stopped, paling totally due to the similarity she shared with the Crystal Gems. What the stars?! They were human too?!

"Ok, wanna explain what's going on? Is this some kind of prank of anything?" She asked, at the edge of freaking out.

"I could expect of you organic-lovers to be so infatuated with the scum humanity is to give up what you are, but this?! Are you trying to piss me off?!" Jasper advanced, full threats and violence prompting Garnet to step in, in case a fight were to happen.

"Jasper, calm down immediately. None of us did this to you. We are still searching for the artifact that turned us into humans. My suggestion to adapt to this drastic change is learning how to live like one."

"Are you out of your mind, fusion?! One moment I was training, then I ended up in this disgusting, useless body! And she too!" The towering woman pointed to Spinel who raised her hand in a shy hello.

"So, uh, Spinel," Steven, after getting out of his trance, directed to the former playmate. "What were you doing before you were turned into a human?"

"I was just showing some tricks to some quartzes when bum! My body stopped being elastic, I couldn't shapeshift, and I made a big fool of myself. I freaked out and ran away to the closest warp pad, but I couldn't use it because I wasn't a gem anymore. Heck, I had to beg the closest gem I saw to help me reach the Earth and not say anything to anyone, not even the Diamonds. Then, while I was looking for you or your friends, I met Jasp. And now we're here."

"And all of you are going to reveal what kind of madness you got yourselves into for us to become these worhtless creatures!" Jasper demanded, her index finger too close to Garnet's face for her liking.

"We can't, Jasper. Didn't you hear? We are still investigating this issue." Lapis informed her, rolling her eyes at her angry antics.

The former quartz was going to lash out at her but Garnet intervened again. "No more fights, Jasper. Use your energy wisely. You're a human now, and humans aren't 24/7 batteries like gems. The best you can do is focus on learning what a human should and shouldn't do with our assistance. Steven, Greg, and Connie's exactly."

Spinel thumbed up twice while grinning as a way to say they would be happy to accept Steven and his family's help in this matter, much to Jasper's protests.

Just like that, new students came and the same lessons were given. Human common limits, illnesses, sustenance, clothes, tools for survival in case of an accident or when you are in the middle of nowhere.

Spinel embraced every class with her hyperactivity and enthusiasm, which Steven considered a plus because that would mean less trouble in helping her to adapt. She even found a way to keep being 'flexible' without hurting herself accidentally, her human body was especially adept to bend in certain ways like a circus performer could do. She also started practicing aerobics because they reminded her of how much her arms and legs could extend, and it was exciting!

Unfortunately, Jasper hated every class with all her might. It was bad enough she had to live on Earth, full of those good-for-nothing pests her Diamond decided to protect thousands of years ago, now she was one of them!

Goodbye to summon her helmet, spin dashing, super resilience, super strength.

Goddammit, humans were so weak and primitive!

Why her Diamond betrayed Homeworld to save them was a mystery for the former soldier.

To make it worse, Pink Diamond's offspring kept insisting that their help would benefit her because she knew nothing about how humans worked!

Of course, she didn't know! It's not that she was going to waste her time interacting with her former enemies and memorizing the best survival techniques!

This would be a long and exhausting journey to adaptation and they had two extra members already. Life couldn't get stranger, right? 


	32. Post-The Future AU: Jesus-like figure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven's life on the road has a 360° twist when he saves someone.  
> For Marie_Nomad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little delay, guys. My brain was dry of ideas or ways to continue with the prompts, but I am finally energized!  
> Enjoy!

The night was approaching fastly and there were still 100 kilometers left for Steven to look for a motel.

Fortunately, traffic was lighter than he expected what with just a bunch of vehicles in other lanes advancing at much or less speed than him.

His right hand changed to multiple radio stations. Classic music, interviews, news, anything to pass the time. You could say it was a way to stop his nagging thoughts from bothering him; though, boredom was the culprit.

How much until he arrived in Arizona, anyway? It couldn't be that far away.

Then his mind traveled to a tour to the Great Canyon. The pictures Connie showed him on the Internet baffled him.

Breathtaking, immense, majestic. Steven could go on and on with the adjectives but it wouldn’t be enough. The view also reminded him about the Prime and Beta Kindergarten. Did the Great Canyon was another result of gem interference with nature? Who knew.

Anywho, marveling at that scenery instead of saving Google pictures of it would be an excellent experience. Maybe, if it didn’t disturb Connie's schedule, a call--

"What the--?!" His right foot stomped on the break in seconds. The Dondai halted just in time before crashing against a young Dobermann whose barks would've made someone reconsider getting out of the car if it weren't for the fact that the canine was trembling and its tail was moving up and down.

Steven's few data about dogs explained to him that when a tail is between legs, that means fear. And when the tail is moving vertically... Ok, he was lost in that part.

"Hey, buddy," Steven cautiously approached the canine, crouching to be on eye level. "What's wrong? Were you abandoned or something? Are you hurt?"

The animal growled distrustfully. It sniffed Steven to check if he was a threat, making some steps to get closer but showing its fangs as a warning. Some minutes of smelling later, the Dobermann bit one of the sleeves of his pink jacket to pull him in a certain direction.

"Wow, wow! My car! I can't--!" But the canine didn't let him come back to make sure his vehicle wouldn't be stolen for the dog kept pulling with such determination that instigated suspicion in the young man.

When they were 3 or 4 meters away from the road, the Dobermann stopped pulling and ran, glancing behind it as if saying 'Quick, follow me!'.

Steven caught up to the animal, using his cellphone flashlight to not trip into any root of a tree or an unsuspected hole.

"K-K-Kira? Is that y-you?" A strangled, weak voice was heard between the trees. There was a car, damaged and with its engine spitting sparks and smoke, and a man was leaning on its side with a bullet wound on his abdomen.

"Oh my God, are you ok?!" Steven sprinted to the injured stranger, but Kira -the Dobermann-, got in the middle, still distrustful of him.

"W-Who are you?" The man pressed on his wound, grunting painfully.

"Your dog got in the middle of the road. I stopped in time and it signaled to follow it. Anyway, can you tell uh, Kira, to move? I can help you."

The guy pushed the canine to one side, careful to not worsen his injuries. Steven pointed the flashlight on the wound grimacing at the blood. Such gruesome sight.

"This will be gross, but you’ll be fine in no time." Not giving the man time to ponder on those words, Steven accumulated a lot of saliva on the tip of this tongue and spit it as accurately as he could to the wound.

Instantaneously, the hole on the flesh was gone like the bleeding.

"Y-You healed me." It was the only comment getting out of the man's mouth. His brain was unable to process that a stranger's saliva has saved him.

"Yeah... Healing powers. Anyway, we'd better call the police to notify them you were shot, and a mechanic for your car."

"Y-Yes... Sure..." The guy focused on those matters, still struggling to comprehend what had happened moments ago.

In a matter of a few hours, a police squad was looking for the culprit while Steven was bidding farewell to the stranger he had saved.

"I cannot thank you enough for saving me. Marcus is my name, by the way." He extended him a hand for a shake. 

"You're welcome. And I'm Steven Universe. Be careful out there, alright?"

Marcus nodded. Minutes later, Steven kept driving to his destination, leaving a shell-shocked Marcus in a reflective trance.

Because, just 2 days ago, he had a weird dream, or was it a nightmare. It didn't matter, except for the contents of it.

He was in a lot of pain, in a dark place, alone, feeling his life escaping from his hands. Then a light got closer to him, and a warm touch evaporated the source of his unbearable pain as if had never existed.

Marcus wasn't a believer in premonitions via dreams; however, there was no proof that was unable to deny the accuracy his dream was fulfilled. And those healing powers... Once his friends knew about this, they would freak out and bombard him with questions. 

\-------------------------

A week passed and the road incident was forgotten, even when Steven sometimes wondered if Marcus was ok and very far away from danger. Nonetheless, his trip to Arizona went without hitches after that. The tour to The Great Canyon left him speechless for the landscape was the most superb and amazing experience he had. If Earth was so full of beautiful places, then he would have to make a schedule to see them all. Connie being by his side was the best part; they talked and joked, took pictures, and video chatted with the Gems and Greg.

A new week started, he planned to watch a bit more before the next state, but dread and nervousness gave place to his doubts. Why? Well, it seemed that people were following him and praising him even if they had never met him.

Steven also discovered some pamphlets with his silhouette on them, the phrase 'It's here. He's here. Our savior!' under the image. Heck, when he was taking breakfast on Tuesday, a group went to salute him with the utmost respect, grateful to have saved one of his colleagues.

What were they talking about? The gears of his mind worked harder until he got to the conclusion that those people were friends or acquaintances of Marcus, the same guy he had saved.

Alright, on one hand, Steven felt flattered due to the gratitude and honors given to him for his kind act. On the other hand, it creeped him out of the level of eulogy and worship a lot of random people put on his persona only because he had healing powers and used them when someone's life was on the line.

If listening to the 'Let us adore you' song from the Diamonds was uncomfortable, having followers glued to his shadow would be the death of him.

Not to mention the many invitations to rituals of initiation to be part of a cult he inadvertently created. He had lost the count of the number of pamphlets lent to him whenever he walked on the streets, sightseeing, exploring. Heck, it hadn't been a month yet, and still, his actions had gotten him into this weirdness.

If he was called by the Gems with the news of a temple built for him by one of those pesky followers, he would have to live in seclusion until this bizarre trend of fashion passed. 


	33. Dystopian AU: The beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: How a powerful gem and a human can coexist in technological totalitarianism?  
> For LP-RIPPER24 Fan

Pink was told from the very start gem life was superior. Gems were uncomparable if you put them in the middle of the rest of the beings -sentient and beast-minded- of the universe.

Their culture, power, technological advances, discoveries, and many other aspects surpass the impossible, therefore, it was such an absurdity other creatures could reach the same level of progress as them.

Partially, those old-fashioned ideas from White, Yellow, and Blue were right. You could imitate the way an entire civilization works, but you would always be a copy. That, and everyone could reach the peak of development in such different forms, so, there was diversity.

On the other hand, it wasn't true that other life forms were so primitive and brainless that the least they could do to survive was relying on brute force. Humanity was a good example.

Planet Earth. Breathtaking, chaotic, confusing, unpredictable as its living beings, humans. They lacked powers, quasi-immortality, resilience. They are high-maintenance what with the need of stocking as many resources as they could. However, their determination and creativity compensate for those problems.

New tools to build new buildings, learning and exploring, daring to beat the odds. So exciting!

It couldn't last though. Humans and gems had a lot in common as much as Pink didn't want to admit it.

It all started after the war, the whole fake-shattering scheme, and the Corruption Blast. Humanity was saved from Homeworld; vestiges and spoils of gem architecture and technology scattered all around the world, humans -afraid and curious- testing the machines.

There were accidents, casualties, and ideas flying everywhere. It was a matter of time for humanity to mix its intelligence and progress with foreign artifacts, and Pink, now Rose, had to see that with her survivor friends. 

Thousands of years were what it took for humans to blend their own tech with gem's, founding metropolises, creating vehicles, weapons and fortresses. Expanding their knowledge to other societies. 

Rose was impressed, that's for sure, but then she saw how greed and power-lust consumed their minds. Differences in ideologies and traditions led to confrontations, unfair treatment, and wars among nations. 

It reminded her of Homeworld and its hierarchy. Perfection ruled everything and everyone, expectations loomed over you, and punishment was around the corner if you mess up in the tiniest of ways. 

Unfortunately, humans weren't different. The best resources fell into the hands of a small group, the elite. Masses were forgotten and displaced, even attacked when they demanded justice. Who could've thought organic life like humans were going to evolve to embrace totalitarianism? 

Rose and the Crystal Gems had to be on the neutral side, taking care of rampaging corrupted gems, saving people who found themselves ambushed by the monsters. 

And while they didn't change, humanity kept advancing and their ambitions spiraled out of control. 

A part within Rose wished to believe not all humans had turned into ruthless conquerors that reminded her of Homeworld imperialistic nature, but the more she explored the technology-saturated cities, the less hope remained standing. 

But it all changed when she met him. 

Greg Universe, a humble, funny, musical-inclined human. A kind man who taught himself how to play guitar and decided to make a living as a music teacher in his old apartment. 

He lived in the most worn-out sector of the town, a city called Beach City, despite the pollution getting closer to the beaches each day and the lack of maintenance to keep them clean and safe. 

For some reason, this laid-back human got her attention and it wasn't only because of his jokes or his musical talent. In fact, he also knew how it felt to be secluded by a society that had chosen advancements over its own heart. 

"You could say I was left out of the whole 'party' because I disliked how everyone went against everyone for a few pieces of tech, but in reality, it was me who did it. People have been so engrossed in moving forward that they don't take a break to enjoy life, not even to help each other. Stupid, right?"

"At first I thought it was impressive. Humans can reinvent themselves, grow up, change. But is it a change for the better or the worse?" 

"That depends. Sometimes it is one or the other. Or it can be a mix. Meeting you, talking to you, is a change for the better for me."

Rose blushed, her smile awkward and embarrassed but joyful too. 

The dates kept going on and on. Existential conversations, superficial chit chats, introducing oneself to friends, and adapting to a relationship with a space lady. Neither Greg nor Rose could imagine that a single meeting between them could spark such a romantic and kindred spirit-like fire. It still did it. 

Sure, interactions with Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst was like charting new territory, especially with how judgemental and disapproving Pearl was of him, but he wouldn't have changed it for anything. Rose neither. 

\----------------------

Some years passed, Beach City kept growing but it was still unsafe, polluted, and ruled by cold-hearted tech and gem monsters hunters and gangsters, because yeah, they had become sadly popular. 

Something else got popularity too. Having a baby. 

Although, Rose knew forming a family human-style was impossible for gems, knowing that technology and science had developed so quickly gave her hopes to be a mother without giving up her physical form. Of course, Pearl was adamant in changing her mind, even begging Garnet to knock some sense into her. 

The fusion, thankfully for Rose, explained that her future vision showed good results of her plan, but they had to be well-executed if Rose wished to have a healthy baby and be alive to raise it. 

Greg was both ecstatic and terrified. Unsavory memories of his family made him doubt about being a good father, but Rose’s sweet encouragement was enough for him to relent. 

What they needed now was an investigation, machinery, good scientists or technicians to create a mean for Rose to conceive her future baby. That would take years, heck, even decades. 

She wasn't someone that patient, though. The desire to be a mother wrapped around her heart strongly, compelling her to gather as much material as she could, find people with high intellect to aid her -like Pearl, despite her protests- and ensuring the place for her baby would be safe and warm. 

Screw the decades-worth-of-work plan this would entail. It would be just a few years, and Rose and her future child would meet each other. 

That's when a crazy but imaginative idea crossed her mind. What if there was a way to generate a gemstone, efficiently and quickly enough to put her life source fluids into it as a vital organ for the baby? 

Yes, yeah! Why didn't she think about that before?! This could actually work! 


	34. Internet AU: You and me on Google, and some kind of problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Connie and Steven Google themselves. Connie finds it unnerving.  
> For Zoe

No matter how many times she saw it, Connie would never rid of the surprise and indignation of being part of the Internet. Why? Because, how the heck people she had never met could create web pages about her and Steven and put information that is classified as private?

You could call it a total violation of privacy and abuse on the espionage business just to fulfill someone's fanatic agenda.

The fanart, the praise, and fanfiction about her were flattering, sweet, and heartfelt. Connie admitted it, especially the ship ovation to her relationship with Steven: Connverse. Honestly, that name reminded her of a brand of sports shoes, but still, it left her flustered.

The rest of it was outrageous though.

"I can't get it! They know about my family moving to different places because of work, about my former inability to make friends, even that shameful incident in school when I broke Jeff's arm! We should call a lawyer to sue them, Steven! They resort to espionage on civilians to report every activity, trespassing of property, and worse, handling personal data without our consent for their amusement. I mean, they even know about gem artifacts and that I use your mom's sword! Isn't that suspicious?"

"Maybe is just some fan we have inadvertently saved from a corrupted gem, or when Spinel attacked the Earth with the gigantic injector, it could be anyone. That doesn't mean they're a bad person."

"That's doesn't mean they're trustworthy either. For us to feel totally secure with them sharing information that only we know, we should come with a compromise for all the parts, instead of letting them have the last word."

After a long pause overthinking and planning how to solve this issue, if you can call it that, Connie picked up her cellphone and dialed her mother's number.

"I hope she still had the number of one of her recommended lawyers. This mess won't be left unpunished, Steven. Whether they were just fans or not, espionage is a really complex, problematic matter that could be dealt with in the worst way even if the intentions were harmless."

"Oh yeah, I remember that time when Peedee told me Ronaldo had to go to court because he was sued for being a creep and following someone until late hours of the night to their house without them noticing. All for some weird suspicion Ronaldo had about that person being an alien agent disguised as a human. Pretty messy if you ask me."

Connie hummed absentmindedly. Her back straightened up when her mother responded to the call.

"Hi, mom. Look, you can't believe what Steven and I found on the Internet..."


	35. From princess to prince. From Diamond to fire. Crossover ATLA and SU.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some inspiration came to me! :)

_"I finally know the truth. I know what you are! You're a liar!"_

_"I can't believe Mom did that to you. Actually, I can totally believe it."_

_"She lied to us! She lied about everything! She held our hands, looked at us right in the eyes, and told us to never question who we are as Garnet. We never questioned ourselves, or her!"_

_"I'm sorry for not believing you. It looks like I'm still making excuses for her._

_Is that what I've been doing?! But she didn't mean to!_

_But you were hurt- badly hurt!_

_I was badly hurt"_

_"Your mom created us, too, and got us all bubbled, just for being Rose Quartzes."_

_"Help...? Help?! I've been fighting from the second I broke free of the Earth's crust, because of what YOU did to my colony! Because of what YOU did to my planet! Because of what YOU did to my Diamond!"_

_"I make things better, you make things worse- that's what you do, Starlight."_

_"You should've shattered me back then. At least, If I were in pieces I wouldn't have known how little I mattered to you."_

_"Can you just- TALK TO ME FOR ONE SECOND!? LIKE A REAL PERSON!?"_

_"Stop it! I can't deal with more horrible thing she did, okay?!"_

_"I see how you do it now, Rose. You want Gems after they're worthless, you wait until after they've lost. Because when you're at the bottom, you'll follow anyone. That makes you feel like... less of a failure."_

Failure. 

Disgrace. 

Embarrassment. 

Liar. 

Cheater. 

Traitor. 

Fraud. 

Disappointment. 

Destructive. 

Hopeless.

The bad outweighed the good, and it kept showing its ugly face to her millions of times. Proving her wrong that she has changed. 

She felt she has changed. However, isn't change supposed to be beneficial for everyone? If that's true, then, why changing has led to so many people hurt, so many lies, so much destruction? 

Was she playing all this time with change, pretending? Pink wasn't sure anymore. Stars, the former Diamond had no idea of who she was anymore. 

She tried to impress White, Blue, and Yellow and act as a commanding ruler, but they never noticed her unless she pissed them off. 

She shapeshifted into Rose Quartz and gave hope to the rebels for a new, better life, but her plans to end the war condemned them to be mindless monsters. 

Not even being out of the equation was enough to not screw anyone's life for Steven had to deal with her many mistakes unresolved issues and the people she let down or abandoned. 

Attempt after attempt and she was still in square one. Her list of wrongdoings and victims growing larger and heavier by the second. It could make anyone throw up by just seeing it. 

Heck, unnecessary was watching the disasters she left behind because that bad feeling was glued to her very core as a cruel punishment. 

For her, it was a curse. Or, to put it simply, Pink was the curse. And she hated it. She wanted to change, to be more than a spoiled-rotten tyrant who created life by destroying innocent planets. 

The universe, on the other hand, planned to remind her every second how much trouble she was worth. 

Yeah... Just that... Hopeless Diamond. 

"Do you want to be?" 

"Ah?" She looked around for the voice, the void was her answer. 

"Do you want to remain hopeless?" 

"Who are you? Am I hallucinating?" 

"Who I am is not important. And no, you're not hallucinating. My question stands. Do you want to remain hopeless?" 

"No. I want to fix my mess. I want to change everything."

"You wish to change."

"Can I?" 

"That's up to you." A bright light was seen on the horizon of the void. It felt warm and inviting. "Go to the light and you’ll have your second chance. However, once you enter, there's no going back. It'll be the same if you stay here because the light will be gone as your second chance too. Whether you take this or leave it, the choice will be permanent."

This was it! This could be her opportunity to try again and redeem herself! 

But, what if she screwed up? Or made things worse than ever? 

Though, it couldn't possibly be that bad like when she was alive, right? 

Pink would be unable to know the answer unless she went through the light. Besides, now knowing what she had to do, there was no possibility of messing up. 

The best outcomes were given to her in a silver plater. She could fix her mistakes, stop the war most properly, take better decisions.

What was she waiting for?! 

She ran straight to the light. Hope building inside her chest. Smiling, truly grinning after so much heartache. 

Redemption, here we go! 

\---------------------

In the palace, a group of midwives murmured in a mix of relief, concern, and expectations. The Fire Lord was due to come in any minute and meet his firstborn, his heir of the throne, the future leader of the Fire Nation. 

When Ozai's steps were loud enough for the midwife to hear, the 4 of them organized themselves in a line, bowing respectfully. 

"How it went?" Direct to the point. One of the women made a shy step forward to respond. 

"The birth was successful, my lord. The kid is a boy, healthy and energetic. Miss Ursa is waiting in the royal room. She is exhausted but awake." 

"I'll see how energetic he is." With that said, the doors of the room were open to him. His wife's voice seemed to coodle the baby with a lullaby. Despite the tiredness in her eyes and the sweat covering her face, anyone could perceive the loving, motherly vibes from miles away coming from Ursa. 

She glanced at Ozai when his steps were audible for her. Silently, she lowered the towels for him to see his heir. 

The recently born child opened his eyes just a tiny bit, watching at his father's expression for the first time. Ozai, on the other hand, didn’t utter a word. Impassive and, honestly, unimpressed, but oh well, it was too early for expectations yet. Maybe with some years, his potential will shine to him and the Fire Nation. 

"What will be his name?" The Fire Lord asked, his face still emotionless. 

"Zuko. He's Zuko."

And just like that, a whole new journey started. 


	36. I come in peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Instead of colonizing the Earth, Pink travels to the planet 6000 years later and finds a big surprise.  
> SETUP

Planet Eumoria, very far away from the Milky Way, had thousands of landscapes, hundreds of climates, and the best resources to be turned into a colony.

It also lacked those pesky creatures Pink was so fond of which would be a distraction while she performed her duties.

Because yes, after begging and asking and pestering and working for it, White, Blue, and Yellow decided to give her a chance at being the ruler she was supposed to be. Well, just two of the three matriarchs were somehow convinced Pink's behavior had improved and she was ready to face the challenges and tasks every Diamond dealt with 24/7. White, on the other hand, was waiting for a disaster to come. Starlight could be many things, but mature and successful weren't part of the list.

Anyway, Pink was unable to contain her happiness at this course of action. Thousands of years were the amount of time it took her to change the minds of her sisters. She swore to herself that this planet would become the most sophisticated colony the gempire had ever known. Armed to the top, full of the most capable and strongest gems. Her fellow Diamonds would finally call her an equal.

\-------------------------

Honestly, how White, Yellow, and Blue hadn't cracked from boredom yet was beyond her comprehension.

Being a ruler is boring her to the death! No pun intended or whatever.

She had to check every section of the planet where Lapis Lazulis were sent to create kindergartens, then talk with the Peridots in charge of the injectors. She had to make sure none gem come out defective. The routine was getting to her nerves!

There was nothing new or exciting. The 3 suns of Eumoria rose and went down, the buildings were started or finished on the right day according to the schedule. No incidents, just a few accidents, her armies and servants obedient to the core. Greeting her with reverence and admiration that once boosted her ego.

It had been 500 years since her duties as a Diamond begun, but despite the process going smoothly and even watching Yellow and Blue smiling at her proudly, it wasn’t as fulfilling as she had imagined.

Stars, time couldn't be this slower, or perhaps that's how it was. For Neptune, what if this performance had to be repeated with a new planet full of life?

Overscheduling cycles, checking every activity, sitting on the throne of her moon base, giving orders, and receiving the Diamond salute. Yeeeesh, no wonder Yellow always wore a frown on her face. But Pink didn't beg during eons for a colony to wear a frown forever. Heck, being all grumpy and moody was Yellow's department. Pink preferred to be more relaxed if she could.

"Would you believe if I told you that I miss when Spinel did cartwheels or played some new game with me, Pearl?" The pale, thin gem looked at her apprehensively, unsure of the right answer.

Despite being assured that she was allowed to express her opinions and not treat her so formally, Pearl still had difficulties in twisting the programming inside her head to be more herself.

"I...believe that you can give yourself a break, my-I mean, Pink." Then she swallowed. Nebula and stars, even mentioning Pink’s name so casually felt like blasphemy.

The young Diamond hummed contemplatively. Her serious features changed to joy when an idea crossed her mind.

"You're right! Pearl, thank you. Why didn't I think about this?"

"May I ask what are you talking about, m-Pink?"

"As you said, I can give myself a break. This is my first colony. As long as I don't mess anything up and the other Diamonds are proven wrong about my skills, it will be possible to have another one but not so soon. Trust me, overtasking is monotonous."

"So..." Pearl debated if making another question was a good idea. "Uh, your point is..."

"My point is that I can have all the fun I want after this colony is completed without a hitch. Just to show White, Yellow, and Blue that I'm capable."

A simple plan with a simple goal. It was perfect!

\----------------------

The warp pad shined, the sound was like music for Spinel's ears, her grin growing bigger.

"Spinel, I'm back!" Pink appeared, Pearl at her side, both arms extended.

"Pink, Pinky, look! I did it! I didn't move from here a tiny inch as you told me. Did I do right? Did I win the game?"

She hadn't moved, walked, or explored the Garden since Pink left her here?! The small Diamond grimaced internally. After hundreds of years watching gems of any type following her orders under blind loyalty and obedience, Pink had grown tired of it.

'Your wishes are first, my Diamond.'

'You're always right, my Diamond.'

'You have the best ideas, my Diamond.'

'No one can compare to you, my Diamond.'

A plethora of praises, but she learned to see the mechanisms behind them. Gems were created to fulfill every command their Diamonds gave them. Spinel was no different. Maybe, during her vacation from dull royalty business, she could teach Spinel to find her true self instead of being only a playmate.

"You won, Spin! Congrats!" The jester gem giggled, elated. "Now, what about a new game? One you have never experienced before."

The elastic entertainer nodded in ecstasy. Imagining all the fun scenarios where she, Pinky, and Pearl would play.

And the break started. The little trio and some bodyguard gems traveled to different planets, marveling at the sceneries in front of them.

Some were peaceful, others were dangerous. There were creatures of all sizes and shapes, flying, running, swimming, climbing trees.

How the Diamonds let her run free through the universe? Easy, Pink told them that she was looking for another life-rich planet to create a second colony. Fortunately, after her success with the first one, she was given more privileges and space to try new things. As long as the gempire was benefited, of course.

\--------------------

"Here we are, guys! Planet Earth of the Milky Way!" Spinel, Pearl, and Jasper fell enraptured at the beauty of the planet. Blue, green, grey, brown, multitude of colors painting this soon-to-be colony.

"Oh, oh! Can I choose this time the place to land, Pink? Pretty please?"

"Alright, Spinel. But be careful." The jester pressed some buttons and the royal ship steered to a tranquil side of the USA, which met the sea.

Meanwhile, on Beach City, Greg Universe was preparing for his concert after giving in to Marty's complaints that performing for a charity case when he was still a nobody would only make him seem like a hopeless sappy.

Some folks had taken advantage of the event to sell as many products as they could to any future tourists, especially the restaurants of the Fryman and Pizza families.

Greg was in front of the whole audience, not thousands of people as Marty wanted, but for the young rock star, it was a good beginning. However, just when his mouth was opened for a greeting, gasps of fear and curiosity prompted him to turned to the sky. His heart froze at the sight before him.

Gigantic, feminine legs made of magenta metal landed on the ocean, not that close to drenched the town on seawater but not that far either.

A pink sphere, the size of a house, emerged from the top of the legs until it was positioned in the sand. At the right side of the stadium for Greg to sing. It dissolved quickly, revealing 4 women (?). One of them was 3 times bigger than the average man, fluffy, curly hair, and a pink diamond on her belly. The second biggest one had abundant, long, silver hair, a gemstone as a nose, and a musculature any bodybuilder would dream to have. The two remaining women were thin, with gemstones on the forehead and chest. The smallest one had heart buns and watched everything like a kid would do at a Christmas party or their birthday. The taller one seemed nervous, fidgetting with her hands.

"Alright," Spoke the giant space lady. "Greetings, new people of Earth. I am--"

"Oh my God! Aliens!" A boy screamed and took some pictures for his blog.

"Hey, what on stars are you doing, you little--!" Jasper was this close to summon her helmet, thinking the flash of the phone camera was a weapon. Thankfully, Greg got out of his stupor and ran to the newcomers.

"Wow, wow, wow! Calm down! He wasn't attacking you or your friends. He only took a picture."

"And who the heck are you?!" Jasper spat. Pink placed a hand on her shoulder, appeasing her. "It's ok, they don't look menacing." Then she glanced at the human who had spoken. "Who are you?"

"Oh... I-uh... Well, my-my name is Greg. Greg Universe, but you can call me Greg."

"So, you're a Greg."

"Oh no, no. I'm human. Earth is the home of humans. All these people here are humans too, but we choose how to call ourselves. That's why my name is Greg."

"Fascinating." Pink’s eyes brightened like stars. She couldn't believe it. Organic sentient life. Not the creatures and monsters from other planets, but actual people. Intelectual and brimming with other capabilities.

"You humans built this colony?"

"Colony?" Greg then assumed that word was a way for her to refer to towns, cities. Who knew. "Not really. This is a town. Beach City is its name. A colony is something from a long time ago."

"So, you did build colonies!"

"Uh, yeah, but times changed and we decided to upgrade. To live in a new era."

"Hey, a question!" The same boy who took a picture intervened. "Are you here to colonize the whole planet?" That question caused the audience to gasp in fear and horror.

"We aren't." Pearl corrected him.

"Pearl is right. We came here in peace. To explore, and maybe, to learn too. As long as you don't mind it." Pink turned to Greg who smiled at her awkwardly, blushing. A sign Pearl didn't like at all.

"Of course. We can all get along. There is space for everyone!"


	37. Pre-Finale AU: In prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Before preparing everything to travel around the country, Steven visits a friend.  
> Marie_Nomad

The news Steven received when he visited the Fryman family days before his departure to travel the country was nothing but shocking.

Ronaldo in prison? Why?

Sure, the guy was annoying, obsessed with weirdness and his blog, acting as if everything and everyone were hiding important information that needed to be known. However, what he knew about prisons was that only dangerous, bad people were sent there?

The second however came to him when Peedee explained the reason for his brother's imprisonment. Ronaldo was adamant in proving that someone from the town, a work colleague of Sadie's mom, was indeed an alien in an espionage mission of dark proportions. So, he stalked the man the WHOLE. DAY!

Sweet Jesus, Ronaldo even jumped over the wooden fence, planning in taking as much evidence as he could once he entered the guy's house. He would've been successful if it weren't for Larimar who caught him like a deer in headlights when she was taking a walk. Long story short, she yelled, the man found out Ronaldo had been stalking him and had tried to invade his house, Ronaldo's attempt of escape ended up in failure and a twisted ankle, and finally, he was put in a cell.

And now, here Steven was, in front of his friend, still processing what the young man had done. To be honest, it's not that difficult to conclude that Ronaldo was going to end up in this place. After all, he had attacked and kidnapped Steven years ago when he disguised as a snake person to cheer his friend up.

"Look, don't take this in the wrong way, but there's a big difference between searching for answers and utter stupidity."

"Hey!" The young man glared at the teenager, but Steven didn’t back down. "Come on, man. You know it's true! I mean, you're not only in prison but also are injured. And for what? To show everyone that one of your crazy theories was right?"

"It's not a crazy theory! That man is hiding something. I was this close to proving it!"

"You don't know him."

"Neither do you." Ronaldo spat, thinking he got Steven with his objection.

"Neither one of us do, but that's not a reason, not even an excuse, to resort to this. Ronaldo, you were acting like a creep and then you tried to enter his home without him knowing! Like, what if he had thought you were a thief? What if he had used something to hurt you believing you were dangerous? You're lucky to have only a twisted ankle because trust me, this could've gone so much worse."

"Sometimes you need to make sacrifices to find the truth."

Ronaldo's argument only incensed Steven's outrage which burnt a lot of his patience. Still, he quelled his urges to scream at his stubborn friend and practiced one of the techniques his therapist taught him for times of high distress.

"I kind of get the feeling of knowing more, finding the truth, because the truth of my mom's identity, what she had done a long time ago, many people who were hurt because of her lies, were hidden from me and even from most of my family. I wanted to know because I was sick of being in the shadows, of being lied to."

"Aha!" Ronaldo pointed at him, triumphantly. "That means--"

"I haven't finished yet." Steven stopped him. "I said that I get it, but sometimes, when you dig for answers, you can get into a trap or get seriously hurt because the answers aren't what you were expecting. I saw my family being in danger because of my actions when I tried to find out what was going on, but I'm progressing in coming to terms with the fact that mom's lies caused this. Anyway, the point is, it's ok to solve a mystery, find and process the truth, but don't go to extremes. Because your life and future weren't the only ones affected, your family was too. Your dad and Peedee are very worried about what might happen later, and as I mentioned you before, this whole mess could've gone worse."

"They don't even support me!" Ronaldo protested me.

"But they still love you. Besides, would you have felt better with the idea of watching your family anguished because that man attacked you with something lethal like a knife or a gun in self-defense?"

The young man flinched a bit, grimacing as his imagination punished him with heartbreaking images of his father and little brother worried sick about him, ready to sue someone who was just trying to defend their home from a supposed thief.

"Ok... That is a good point."

"Exactly. Look, I'm not telling you to give up your blog or any activities related to it, but please, Ronaldo, please, don't let it go over your head. I mean, this is the result of going too far. You don't want a repeat, do you?"

His friend nodded tensely.

"Do you promise me?"

"I... I'm gonna try." Welp, that was better than nothing, Steven guessed.

The teenager bid him farewell after chatting with him about his plans of traveling through the country which prompted Ronaldo to suggest to him some places that, according to him, were spots for weirdness.

Once he was at the entrance of the police station, he stopped at the side of an officer who was reading a report. An idea crossed his mind and even when he was making bigger steps in taking care of himself, Steven still had the helping-people spark.

"Excuse me, sir" The police officer glanced at him. "Could you give this card to Mr. Fryman? I don't know if you have seen him enter here to visit his son, but just as a reference, his hair looks like french fries and uses an apron."

"Mmm, I think the report about his son is on the desk. Don't worry, son. If he comes, I'll tell him you wanted him to have this. What's your name?"

"Steven Universe. Have a good day." The officer wished him the same and the teenager drove back to the Beach House.


	38. Hopeful Futuristic AU: Upgrades and thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven and Amethyst have a big surprise! Rose, on the other hand, reflects on the before and the now.  
> For LP-RIPPER24 Fan

Some explosions were heard in the arena. The whole place looked like a battlefield, hundreds of mannequins in pieces, many of them holding weapons that now were useless against their two enemies.

Steven and Amethyst were showing off more than they thought. Well, Amethyst was the one doing all the rubbing-in-your-face-how-strong-I-am while Steven only enjoyed the many gadgets on his right arm and legs.

They looked human enough to deceive anyone unless you were observant enough to find out the tiny details that scream 'body parts modifications'. His right arm could extend 20 meters at high speed which allowed him to weaponize his shield quickly as if it were a gauntlet. His legs gave him a super boost when it came to jumping, though the best part was landing whenever his floating powers went haywire. That's why he loved thrusters!

Amethyst had other kinds of surprises. Her left arm could become different weapons like a hammer, a boulder, a cannon, and a spiked shield. Everything in the blink of an eye and at her command. With her legs she was able to run at more than 600 km/h, creating tornados that swallowed her adversaries.

Greg, Rose, Pearl, and Garnet applauded, clearly impressed, at the battle performance of the two. Of course, the arena was thrashed and it would need some repairs, but Peridot was the perfect candidate for that as long as she didn't go into a tantrum at how fast Steven and Amethyst destroyed her battle-simulation robots.

To think that a long time ago this technology was a challenge only gems were capable to beat, but now both human and gem tech were fused in a level so deep, they could create anything.

From the deadliest of weapons to the finest of tools and prosthetics to anyone who needed them. Both humans' creativity and gems' advances were expanding their horizons together. Who knew what other discoveries they could make.

 _'Happily, we're in a peaceful, better time.'_ Rose thought in relief. Wars and conflicts had dwindled, people were becoming more responsible and considerate. Mistakes were being fixed, slowly but surely.

That's why she was so fascinated with humans. They learned and changed, they were able to inspire others. They even had a lot in common with gems which let some of them try to befriend them. It didn't matter if humanity wasn't gifted with powers or immortality like her kind, growing up was the true ability that gave her hope for a brighter tomorrow.

If the other Diamonds had seen this evolution, from primitive individuals to outstanding civilizations around the world, they would've found out gemkind wasn't the only one capable of greatness. More impressive, though, was the fact that blending two types of technology from two different sentient species of the galaxy was possible. Despite the mistakes, problems, and hardships, it was possible.

Rose never thought she would be lucky enough to see it. She was eternally grateful for that. 


	39. Why she left? Lapidot Human AU

"Turquoise! Turquoise, please, come back! Please, sweetie! It's getting darker, you can get hurt!" Peridot kept yelling, looking everywhere for her youngest child, but nothing.

At this point, she would have to call the police. Oh, for Jupiter, what if a creep lured her into a trap? Or what if some nutcase kidnapped her? What if she got into an accident?

 _'Calm down, you clod. Calm down! Think rationally, goddammit. There is still time.'_ How much though? She had no idea, but Peridot wasn't going to stop to count the seconds left for her when her child was hurting and alone.

 _'Lapis, what do I do? I wish you were here.'_ Unfortunately, reality hadn't smiled at her. Not after that fateful day, which Peridot pushed to the back of her mind.

Then, pitiful cries were captured by her ears. Running like a maniac, the blond woman entered a park, the crying was clearer and clearer the more she got closer to a solitary corner of the place. Until finally, Peridot found her.

Turquoise was hiding behind a bunch of old bushes, at the side of a worn-down bank. Her eyes, an indigo color, puffed due to the tears, and her nose sniffed every second.

"Turquoise," Peridot made a step, her left foot crushing a twig. The cracks startled her daughter who glanced at her and then looked away angrily. "Leave me alone!"

"Turquoise, I was worried sick about you. I thought--"

"Everyone says that but no one cares!" The woman jumped at the accusation, a spark of outrage ignited within her.

"What the heck are you talking about?! Of course, I care! I'm your mother. Parents care about their children. I searched the entire area for you."

"So what?!"

"So what? What do you mean with so what? Don-Don't you believe me? Or trust me?"

"What's the point? You'll leave me anyway."

"Of course, I won't!"

"Of course, you will!" Turquoise sat up, snarling at her mom with all the pent-up emotions turned into weapons. "Just like her!"

No rain or hail could compare to the icy stab Peridot's biggest wound suffered because of those words. Her lungs felt as if the hand of a giant has squeezed them, taking away the precious air she needed. The atmosphere between her and Turquoise went from difficult to a wasteland punished by a blizzard.

 _'I screwed up.'_ Her mind tried to plan a way to explain, but how when the pain seemed to still be fresh. _'I have to tell her the truth.'_

What other options did she have? Lying could potentially ruin the tenuous mother-daughter relationship until there was nothing.

"You-Your mother," The blond woman swallowed, praying to not fall apart for reviving such harrowing memories. "Your mother wasn't forced to leave us. She never did. She didn't leave at all."

Turquoise's feral anger softened into confusion for a second. "As if I'm going to buy that." She spat.

"It's true. Turquoise, this is something I should've told you time ago. Your sister Melanite and I know it, but not you. And for that, I'm so sorry."

"Are you going to say now that mum was invisible all this time?"

Peridot clenched her fists. It hurt her like hell recapitulating the worst day of her life, but she had to. Her daughter deserved the truth.

"Your mother never left, Turquoise. She died. She passed away months after you were born."

Silence permeated the little space they were standing in. The young girl processed the words which then became a maelstrom of memories, good and bad.

"I-I don't get it. Didn't you say--?" 

"I lied to you. You were too young back then. I was planning on telling you this when you were older enough, maybe near your 17 or 18. I messed up in the end. I should've told you."

"How that happened? Why she died?! Come on, mom! You're giving me the answers now, but I don't want a long story short. I want the full truth. You said it! You should've told me!" 

Peridot sniffed, containing her anguished tears with sheer will and desperation. 

"Let's sit. I think it will be better for me to tell you everything this way." reluctantly Turquoise complied and both sat on the bank. 

Her mother sighed, cleared her throat and head, looking at her daughter gloomily. 

"Your mum was born with a deficient body. Not that serious to be unable to live an independent life, but it was hard. Too hard for her... Her livers hadn't developed enough. One of her lungs was malformed, and part of her digestive system was tangled and disorganized. But she... Hehehe, she was stubborn as a mule, and because of that, your mum beat all the odds. She had gone through multiple surgeries to keep living fully, checking with the doctor, taking medicines and pills, having strict diets. When Melanite was born, Lapis thought nothing would go wrong. Despite being a pessimist sometimes, she had faith the process would be successful as every birth we had researched. Partially, Lapis was right. Your sister came into the world healthy and strong. But... But your mum had overexerted her body and suffered and hemorrhage An internal one. And if it weren't for a nurse who noticed how fast her skin was paling, the doctor and I wouldn't have known and she would've..." Peridot massaged her temples to keep the incoming headache at bay. "It took a lot of her. Energy and physiological resources. She had to work thrice as hard to recover. Heck, there were days her mood was at zero, and didn't want to even leave the bed. But I encouraged her to not give up. Her health improved. She was unrecognizable, we were more hopeful than ever with how far she had come. 7 years later, she was pregnant again. Lapis and I talked about what happened back then, in the first birth, she assured me this time no hemorrhages would occur. She exercised, ate healthy food, went to the hospital for check-ups. Then the day came. When you were born, the labor work was harsh again, but without incidents, we couldn't have noticed. We were overjoyed at having you, especially your mum. You and Melanite were the most beautiful treasures she had, but I bet you were her favorite. Our life was a paradise. It didn't last though." Peridot rubbed at her eyes, pinching the bridge of her pointy nose.

"W-What happened to her?" Turquoise dared to ask.

"Cancer. At the lungs. We were blind until it got worse. First, the coughing. Lapis coughed at any time, a tiny bit, smooth. Hoarse, reverberating the walls. I could even hear it from my study. In the day, the evening, the night. When we invited friends to dinner, she used to talk and listen, enjoying the moment. But that cough ruined it. It came unexpectedly and stole her breath. Breathing was more laborious than before. Whenever she cooked, cleaned the house, went to job, she had to make sure the air was clear. It didn't work. Exhaustion took her to the bed. Then, one day, when she had a week off from work, I found her. Lapis had been swimming in the pool of the house, she had been missing that hobby so much. She was floating, face down to the water. I-I-I g-got her out, applied CPR until she coughed water and breathed again. What scared me most was the trails of blood on her nose and lips."

"You two should've gone to the doctor." Turquoise argued a piece of the story was missing. "Why waiting until it worsened?"

"We did. The cancer was indetectable though. Many doctors pointed to the malformation in one of her lungs. Lapis had had 3 surgeries to prevent a collapse and breath adequately. We kept looking for answers. The more we spent our time digging for a diagnostic, the more cancer advanced. O-Once we knew why your mother was suffering, the schedules changed. Lapis tried to balanced her routine to heal with playtime, reading you stories, taking care of you. Watching you and your sister grow up was a luxury she felt was slipping from her hands. The disease increased its aggressiveness to the point that Lapis could barely breathe and was too weak for the simplest of tasks. She fought all nails and teeth, with me about being sent to the hospital. She somehow knew that once she was put there, she wouldn't come back."

"I've heard Melanite cry. Not too often, just when she believes she's alone." Turquoise now understood why her older sister wore bags under her eyes or skipped school with the excuse of being sick.

"It broke her heart. I had to explain to her that her momma was gone even when Lapis refused to leave." Peridot glanced at one of her hands, a tear had fallen from her face to it. "I wanted my naivety to fulfill my wish of seeing her healed already. Both feared for this day when Lapis had to be connected to machines or every kind to assist her to breathe. Melanite and you... Your mother spent her last weeks alive with you in the hospital. Melanite remembered them too well. She had attempted to be strong; however, the mere sight of her momma dying destroyed her resolve. Lapis and I had to calm her down. You were too young back then. Your mum hated the fact of laying in bed instead of being all energetic to raise you, but the times you visited her were the sweetest for her."

"You said you discussed before she was hospitalized. Were you still mad at each other?"

"Your mum was angry mostly at herself. We had a conversation that changed her mind, it stopped her from being too harsh on herself due to the illness." The blond woman swallowed, aware of the worst part of the story which was ready to be told. Or as ready as Peridot hoped she felt. "T-Two days b-before her death, we kissed. It was a gesture that meant the world for us. S-She t-told me 'I would never change anything of my life if it prevented me from meeting you. You'll always be the only one I'll love.' The moment of-of her departure, you and Melanite were being babysat by your uncle Steven. I'd planned to stay in the hospital for some days, even if the sight of your mum struggling to breathe killed me. I was at her side, holding her hand. My eyes begged me for a nap, I fought endlessly with the urges of sleeping. I fell asleep, 3 or 4 minutes. Then my body jumped as if was burning. I-I-I glanced at Lapis, it was horrifying. Her chest was motionless, no breath got out from her mouth. The most terrifying thing was the heart monitor. The line was flat. I panicked. I screamed. I called for help. The d-d-doctor and some nurses tried to revive her with CPR, next with a defibrillator, b-but to no avail. I yelled at them. I threatened the doctor with killing him if he didn't bring my wife back to life. I couldn't care less about the possibility of being banned from the hospital due to my actions as long as Lapis was ok. Breathing. It didn't work. Lapis was dead, gone. I f-fell apart. Everything became a-a blur as I-as I hugged her body and cried like a toddler, shouting for her to come back." More tears rolled down her cheeks, Peridot cursed mentally at that, aware that her daughter was watching her and she was the one who needed to vent and let it all out.

Turquoise, meanwhile, pieced everything together. Her eyes had been opened with the last words of her mom recounting how her mum had died. Guilt twisted her stomach, remembering the worried look of her mom when she was searching for her, hoping to find her soon to return home safely together. Her mind then, unconsciously, dug for those forgotten moments she spent with her mum before she fell ill. She was too young back then, but the love, warmth, and joy Turquoise and Lapis shared could still be felt. The images were just too blurry due to her age back then to relive everything.

"I'm so sorry." She said in a whisper, audible enough for Peridot to hear. "I'm so sorry. I was horrible to you. I-I didn't know how much you and Melanite were hurting."

Thin, kind arms wrapped around herself. Her forehead received a tender kiss. "It's not your fault, hun. You didn't know. I lied to you. I even... I even told Melanite to not reveal what had happened to your mum. I should've been honest."

"But you were hurting."

"So were you. Turquoise, you waited for your mum's return even when the truth was that she'd never do it. Every year, at every holiday and birthday, your hopes were torn apart because the door wasn't opened by her. I've accidentally made you believe she had abandoned you. That’s the worst mistake of my life."

"You were kind of right, though." At Turquoise's strange comment, Peridot raised an eyebrow like asking for an explanation. "She was forced to leave. Her disease weakened her, but she fought. She wanted to spend time with us. Her wish didn’t come true in the end."

Peridot remained silent, tightening her hug. Then, she remembered what Steven had told her when he visited. _'I have a feeling this is the day, Peri. Just give it a chance. She deserves to know.'_

Her right hand patted the pocket of her jean, understanding her friend's words. "Turquoise, I need to show you something more."

\------------------

Both mother and daughter were in front of a tombstone. Beautiful flowers had been placed days ago at each side of it, every one a different shade of blue.

Turquoise read the words grabbed on the stone: _'Lapis Lazuli. 1995-2022. Beloved wife, mother, and friend. We'll always remember you.'_

"Hey, m-mum." The girl cleaned the tears from her eyes in vain for more gathered at the corners. Peridot hugged with one arm while using the other to blow a kiss to the tombstone. "Hi, my love." She mumbled with a sorrowful fondness. She picked a letter inside her jean pocket and lent it to her daughter who saw it confused.

"B-Before her death, your mum wrote this for you. She did it for the three of us, as a way to say goodbye."

Turquoise took the letter and opened it. Peridot sat up slowly, wanting to give her some space, but the girl held her hand asking silently for her to stay. Her mom nodded and knelt again.

**_'Hey, sweetheart,_ **

**_If you're reading this, it means that I'm gone. My fight has ended and not in the way I was expecting. I wished to be here with you, at your side, to apologize profusely for this turn of events. It's not fair for anyone, especially you. Still, this letter isn't full of 'I'm sorry' but of 'thank you'. Why? Because you've made me so happy. Having you in my life was the best blessing I could ever have. Thank you, Turquoise, my bright star. For giving me happiness, warmth, and strength when I felt so exhausted and hopeless. The day you were born, my face hurt because I couldn't stop smiling. Your mother, Melanite, and you have been the best that has happened to me. When I met and fell in love with your mother, my life exploded in colors. When your sister was born, I felt overjoyed to be a mom. When you came into the world, it was like being in paradise. I've never thought I could be this happy, but I was lucky and for that I'm grateful. I'm grateful for you and to you. I know it will be hard, no child deserves to go through this tragedy. I wished I have had more time to see you smile, to make you laugh, to sing you songs, to teach you some words. Still, this doesn't mean I'm gone forever. I'll be at your side and take care of you, of our family. Whenever you see a shiny star in the sky, trying to get your attention, that's me saying hello. Turquoise, my sweet girl, you’ll go far in life. But as far as you go, never forget to smile, to be kind to others, to be there for each other. And most importantly, to live. Enjoy life with all your heart. I love you, honey. We will see each other again._ **

**_With all my heart, your mum.'_ **

In waterfalls had become the girl's eyes once she'd read Lapis' letter, hugging it as if it were a treasure or a way to make contact with her mother. Peridot hugged her then as tight as she could, both shaking because of the sobs, the grief, and pain. However, within themselves, there was a tiny hope getting stronger. This hard step what the first one for them, especially for Turquoise, to heal as a family. 


	40. Catch and Release AU: Perigotiations a la Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: The Gems still don't find out Steven has been kidnapped. That gives him time to discover why Peridot is in a rush to leave Earth.   
> For SETUP

"It doesn't matter what Earth is like!" Peridot glares at him outragedly as if the idea of a tour to Earth was crazy and suicidal. "It's not going to be like anything soon!"

What? 

"What do you mean?"

Peridot remained silent. One thing was risking her life to kidnapped that Steven, whatever it was, to force him to repair the Warp Pad, but another very different story was giving him information that only she should be benefited from.

"Come on, Peridot! Tell me!" Steven shook her as if she was a maraca, but the stubborn gem didn't comply.

Great, marvelous. His gut was telling him that Peridot was keeping crucial data, and the consequences of not knowing would be disastrous. The problem? She was determined in staying quiet.

Not for too long though.

"Where are you going?" Peridot asked bitterly, still processing the fact that she might die in this gem-forsaken planet.

"Oh, I'm just returning home to tell the others you kidnapped me because you wanted to escape Earth. That's all." This was a dirty move, he disliked it, but if by doing it Peridot complied in revealing whatever knowledge she had then so be it.

Effectively, the technician paled at the mere idea of facing the wrath of the Crystal Clods once they found out one of their members was taken away by an enemy.

Nope! No, no! No way in hell was she going to be bubbled or cracked just because she was trying to survive in this whole mess!

"Wait!" Steven smiled mentally. His plan worked. He turned around, face asking what was going on.

"Listen, I don't trust you or any of those traitorous clods." She started, then swallowed harshly. "But if you four have been living in this mudball then, perhaps, you have the resources to find...to find... To find and destroy the Cluster!!"

Cluwhat?

"Ah... Say that again?"

"The Cluster! A geoweapon Yellow Diamond entrusted me and Jasper to take care of. I was supposed to come to Earth with her as my escort, check on the weapon and then leave. Let that thing grow enough to tear the planet into pieces! But no! Because of YOU!!" And she pointed at him accusingly. "And your rebellious nonsense my ship was destroyed, Jasper is nowhere to be found, and it'll be a matter of time before we all are shattered!"

Steven's childish mind absorbed all the news, analyzing every detail. It came to one conclusion.

"You were going to destroy my home!"

"Is that all you can say?! Besides, this speck of dust was doomed, to begin with. Too primitive for its own good as Jasper had mentioned me before the travel."

"Still!" Steven was livid, beyond livid. Here he was, thinking Peridot could see the beauty on Earth, but she didn't care about it. Heck, she was planning on letting it die with everyone and everything else!

It took him some time to calm down before yelling and getting into a heated fight with his kidnapper. The priority at his moment was cooperating to prevent the destruction of the Earth. First that, the rest would come later.

"Look, I know you don't like this planet and want to leave, and that's fine. But as much as you hate it, Earth is my home. My family, my friends and I live here. You wouldn't like that someone told you that they have a dangerous weapon ready to turn Homeworld into dust, right?" Peridot's angry expression became contemplative. "Exactly, so, what if we do this? Help me and my family to stop the Cluster, and we help you find a way to go back to Homeworld."

The green gem scrunched her nose up as if that idea smelled like rotten eggs. "Didn’t I tell you that I don't trust any of you?"

"That's fine. You don't have to, not even in the end. What matters is that we work together."

"What if this is a trap? Or what if you let those Crystal Clods bubble me?"

"I won't. I'll tell them everything you've told me."

"They won't believe you. They'll conclude that I was lying to you to manipulate you for my own gain."

"Well, you have proofs of the Cluster, right? We can find them and then Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst will believe you. Also, I don't think this is the time for fights when the whole planet is in danger of being destroyed. Is working as a team or facing the horrible consequences."

Peridot was surprised at the Steven's maturity. He had taken the news quite well despite his initial burst of anger at the threats his 'home' (because who's call this mudball home?) destruction. He also seemed to be honest about his assurance that the Crystal Clods wouldn’t hurt her. Welp, as long as she is sincere and helpful too.

"I'll help." Steven's eyes shined with hope, the gem stopped him before he opened his mouth to thank her. "With one condition though. At the slightest sign of aggression or attempt at poofing me one of your friends make, I'm out. I'll find a way to get out of here on my own. Whether you like it or not."

Steven nodded and extended his hand for a shake to solidify their deal. The technician shook his hand reluctantly before walking to the only functional warp pad that could take them to the Beach House.

Peridot bit her lower lip, trembling subtly, praying the Crystal Gems didn't destroy her when they were told she had kidnapped the Steven.

"Don't worry, Peridot. Whatever happens, it'll be ok." His kind encouragement didn’t help that much, still, she straightened up and enter the warp pad with the kid. Both were enveloped by a bright column of light which sent them to Steven’s home.


	41. There is no Mary Poppins anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rainbow Quartz 2.0 reaches their breaking point with Onion antics.  
> For Star Coin

Rainbow Quartz 2.0 could be the most chill friend a kid could ever have, followed by Sunstone and Smoky of course.

They loved singing, performing, and using their magic to give life to many objects. They loved enchanting the atmosphere, make it more fairytale-like.

However, magic and they can have a nemesis, and Onion was one of them.

"I'm so sorry for the sudden disturbance, guys." Rainbow bowed at Mr. Smiley and two of his Quartz workers who had to dismantle 3 posts because of Onion's shenanigans. "I swear I'll keep a better eye on him, and teach him to use his energy in a better way."

"You'd better because, at this point, I'll have to call the police to prevent these messes. And he's just a kid!"

Rainbow grimaced and flew back to Vidalia's house in their umbrella with Onion behind them who was eating popcorn as if his latest crime had never happened.

"Alright, Onion, we have a very important task right now. Finding a way for you to have fun without causing trouble. What would you want to try?"

The little kid silently glanced at some papers and crayons which gave Rainbow a good idea. "Art! You're a genius, my friend! And I know who's the perfect person to help you thrive on the matter!"

\---------------

"This is your worst idea. Ever." Lapis' dry voice joined by her deadpanned expression wasn't the most helpful answer to their plan. Still Rainbow couldn't be more grateful for the blue gem's reluctant yes in lending them a hand to keep Onion occupied.

Lapis didn't know anything about the kid, but something in her gem told her to be cautious around him despite being a tiny human. And that emotionless stare. Stars, it was giving her the creeps!

"Ok, guys, the lesson for today is creating a piece of art that is not only aesthetic but also functional. Pour all your creativity, and remember, it doesn't matter the purpose, just that you like it and are proud of your work."

Instantaneously, Onion clapped his hands in excitement, grabbing Rainbow Quartz 2.0's hand as if asking for their help. The rest of the time, the fusion smiled because the plan was working. Onion was concentrated on his piece of art, nothing else. Pointing to anything and everything around him for Rainbow to place it close to the child while still not knowing what he was building, because Onion made it clear it was a surprise.

At the end of the class, when everyone had presented their projects, it was the turn for Onion and what he showed was a combination of múltiple slingshots all together morphing into a big one. Rainbow paled considerably though that was nothing compared to Lapis horrified face at the implication.

"Don't. You. Dare." Too late. The kid pressed a button and hell was unleashed.

\--------------

Rainbow Quartz 2.0 paced back and forth, pulling harshly at their hair, greeting their teeth, cursing in mumbles. Not only Onion caused a huge ruckus on Funland but also the child gave Lapis enough reasons to kick the two of them out of her art studio before putting a letter at the entrance that said: **'Onion is forbidden to enter to any new classes until further notice'.** In red capital letters. Which meant never again.

"What the hell I'm going to do with you?!" Rainbow yelled, surprising Onion because the fusion had never yelled at him.

"I'm trying to be the big person here. I really do, but your shenanigans are going totally out of control! You could've gotten hurt while pranking Mr. Smiley! You could've gotten hurt with your exposition at the art class! Every time I think I can give you some bit of freedom to play, you take it to the extreme!!" All the screaming and stress of the day activated Steven's pink mode inside the fusion which made them look menacing despite the neon pink color spreading through their cheeks and face.

Instead of feeling intimidated though, Onion fidgeted with his fingers guiltily, wondering what he could say to apologize for giving his friend such a hard time.

Rainbow, however, breathed deep, inhaling and exhaling some times to cool down. Getting their anger and frustrations out in this way could put a damper between them and Onion. Besides, the kid just wanted to have fun even when his ways were more...unconventional.

"Alright, Onion, we can start all over again and try to end the day happily, but you have to promise me to not disappear on me and wreak havoc in any place. Is that clear?"

The kid nodded and smiled slightly. Rainbow thought then that instead of walking through Beach City or Little Homeworld, a tour to somewhere else could be good entertainment.

"So, my dumpling, wanna see how Empire City looks like?" 


	42. Watch Dogs AU: Hackers and bombs everywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven and the Crystal Gems find themselves in a war of organizations both legal and illegal that puts humans, gems and freedom on Empire City in serious peril.  
> For jacksepticeye fan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay again. Too many things in my life, my thesis, looking for a job, trying to advance with other fanfics. Still, thanks for the comments, prompts, and ideas! You're all the best!  
> Some news about this work: I will take a little hiatus once I reach the 50th chapter to take care of my other fanfics. I don't know the length of this work, but I think a hundred or two will be great.

People say that what happens in Empire City never sleeps. It was the city of opportunities and luxury. Many gems of different types found it fascinating how human culture took a big varsity of forms in every building they saw. The way items were sold, the mannerisms, the dialects, the how they congregated in classes: rich, medium, and poor.

That part was more complicated for Pearl to explain when she helped some gems to settle in the city. However, the incident Steven and his family faced one night opened their eyes to the unbalance in Empire City. A set of bombs were detonated on important buildings like hospitals, schools, colleges.

The pandemonium expanded like a plague. There were casualties, injured people screaming for help, others looking for their families, ambulances accelerating like crazy.

It was supposed to be a week of vacation for Steven and the Crystal Gems, but then it turned into a nightmare. Though, it wasn't done with them yet.

"As we can see, these creatures despite their humanoid appearance are too deceitful and suspicious for us to let them in." Albion, the 'paladin' put in charge by the government, pointed fingers at the Gems with the venom of their words. "We cannot let our guard down knowing anytime their true colors might show again to destroy us!"

Garner, Pearl, Amethyst, and a long list of new gem residents were cornered by the minions of Albion even when months had passed and evidence wasn't pointing at them. In a matter of time, the beautiful, entrancing city became a prison at every corner, avenue, and street. Camcorders, bots of vigilance, and tough-as-nails interrogations replaced normalcy and freedom.

People, humans, and gems felt suffocated by the incredibly harsh, cruel restrictions if one of them dared to disobey. A list of disappearances, detentions were put on the walls and social media as a warning, while outraged protests fed from the fear and hunger of justice.

You needed more than your own hands to count the losses, especially on the gems' side. Innocents from another planet, mistreated, blamed and yelled at, caged indiscriminately, or killed like beasts.  
But as with any nightmare, there is an end to start anew.

"Are you telling me some clandestine organization called DedSec contacted you even when you have never revealed to them your e-mail address?" Pearl asked a shocked Steven who tried to process the message in the e-mail sent to him.

The veteran gem didn't want more messes or interventions to deal with anymore. One thing was fighting against a government puppet-like institution that transformed Empire City into a hell. Another one was joining forces with criminals who pretended to act in a Robin Hood way just to stab you in the back once you stopped being useful to them. So, no matter the offers they had, the answer would be no.

Of course, that's what Pearl had thought to say until some members of DedSec found themselves in a pickle and, if it weren't for Steven's puppy eyes and pleads that the organization might not be a new enemy, she and the other Gems would have let them to their devices.

But it didn't happen and here they were now, resorting to wits, strength, and technology to stealthily infiltrate into the principal base of data of Albion to figure out what other plans they may have in their filthy hands. Though, another detail was essential to restore order to Empire City: showing everyone that Zero Day was the real culprit of the massacre.

It wouldn't be enough with yelling at a big audience that a hacker terrorist made them low their guards without knowing before involving them in his crimes. So, the more evidence they got, the faster justice could be delivered.

That was the only solution for Steven and his family to free the people of Empire City and prevent a war that could envelop both humans and gems.


	43. We can get along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven, an hybrid of two species who hate each other, and his friend Connie, has something in mind to mend the rift between humans and gems once and for all.   
> For ZenDramaFX

Thousands of years ago, Earth was a peaceful planet, brimming with life. However, everything changed when gemkind and humanity started a war. Destruction, calamities, death. There was only one person capable to stop such carnage, but when the moment of truth came...

  
Well, honestly, Steven is just a child, 2 years left before adulthood and he had too much to handle in his life to play hero right now, thank you very much.

  
Oh no, don't take him wrong. He was the kindest, most generous person someone could meet in their lives. Even his father was proud of him for the display of kindness whenever a call for help was heard. Still, humans had limits and the boy was aware of that.

  
For starters, he wasn't a normal kid. He was a hybrid. Half-human and half-gem hybrid. An inconceivable and extraordinary mix of two species who hated each other since their eyes met with the others'.

  
Sure, Steven could blame all gemkind for this mess. They arrived on Earth to conquer it, with no mercy, no sparing. Humans had to defend their homes; therefore, a bloody war erupted between them. Being open-minded, nonetheless, was part of his nature.

  
Steven always gave the benefit of the doubt to others, believing people had goodness within them despite all the flaws and mistakes in their track record.

  
His dad proudly commented his mother was like that too. Forgiving and comprehensive. Steven would be happy to hear that if it weren't for the fact that humans harbored a deep hatred and disgust towards gems. He didn't belong to any side due to his heritage on both parental sides.

  
On one hand, his grandparents and some of his human family were terrified of gemkind, labeling them as demons. On the other hand, gems could consider the union between his parents a serious act of treason coming from his mom.

  
Gosh! If they knew...

  
Not all gems were violent, organic-life-hating, and menacing. Dad, for example, enjoyed such a fascinating friendship with his mom's friends: Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl.

  
The anecdotes he used to recount to him about old shenanigans, adventures, disagreements, and shared hobbies was blatant proof that friendly coexistence between gems and humans was possible.

  
If people could just let go of their attachment to hate and fear and nurture understanding and compassion, everything would improve.

  
For that reason, the teenager was on his way to meet with his best friend Connie, the best blessing he got in his life. At first, he was scared of being shunned out or have his life ruined once she found out his origins and told the authorities. However, acceptance, joy, and genuine friendship were the only things that came from her eyes and mouth. She saw in gems much more than invaders that should be hated. With a mind as precious as hers, a dream of harmony for both species could come true.   
The two had a lot of ideas. Though, the most plausible one was slowly integrating people they knew and trusted to the Gems.

Steven didn't have any friends, sadly. Being a hybrid made it very hard for him to befriend kids his age without accidentally revealing he has a gemstone on his navel. That and the secrets he would have hidden from his future friends, creating a rift in the relationship. And he doubted his acquaintances were accepting of gemkind.

  
Connie had the same doubts. Not many people she met were fond of gems. The only things she heard were insults and threats of death against them for invading Earth and trying to colonize it.

  
There should be a way to introduce at least one person of their limited social circle to Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl. In all honesty, the second one was the best candidate for social meetings.

  
Fun, laid-back, extrovert, more familiarized with humans and their mannerisms, Connie and Steven bet she could win anyone's heart in an instant. But for that to happen, the other person should let her in, be willing to give her a chance.

  
Whether the plan worked or not, Steven was adamant in creating a path so both species could get along and let go of the past.

  
Operation Peaceful Coexistence has begun.


	44. New recruits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Steven, the Crystal Gems, and DedSec recruit more humans and gems to put an end to Zero Day and restoring peace at Empire City.  
> For jacksepticeye fan

The last started simple: it was only the members of DedSec who were 10, the Crystal Gems and Steven, making it 14 in total.

  
And Pearl couldn't get out of her head the idea of siding with a bunch of delinquents who played hero by hacking and watching over people, while the whole city was still in the claws of the government thanks to Zero Day's plotting. Well, at least she had to admit their abilities in the software department were extraordinary and had led them too far, though the distance between all of them and victory was still enormous which prompted an alliance with the Gems.

  
That and the Gems needed a hand too.

Amethyst read her mind when she told the group her idea of recruiting more people. Members who could hack, be stealthy, fight and make it alive, work in teams, and alone pretty well. Steven had in mind some names; Pearl didn't need telepathy to figure out who was going to join them.

  
Two days later, the B-team presented themselves in front of Marcus Holloway and Sitara. To say they were impressed with the abilities of the new members was putting it short. Sitara got along with Peridot almost immediately due to her intellect and love of technology; meanwhile, Holloway introduced Bismuth and Lapis to the rest of DedSec with a triumphant smirk. 

Garnet and other members of the hacking collective traveled secretly to Little Homeworld explaining to some gems the fusion was fond of why they needed their help. In a matter of time, Larimar, Snowflake, and Biggs became part of the team.

  
Steven was unsure if letting Connie in to save Empire City. The girl had a huge brain, could work under pressure and he trusted her with his life, though he was aware of the dangers enveloping the city.

  
After a long talk that included promises of taking care of herself and be extremely careful, Connie became part of the alliance. Additionally, and much to everyone's delighted surprise, she proposed Lars and the Off-Colors were part of the team to explain that he had heard some disturbing news about the condition of Empire City.

  
It didn't take too much for the new members to be introduced to everyone and for Clara Lille to start assigning places after witnessing the abilities of all the partners: Steven and Connie would be part of the combat section with the Gems; Pearl, Lapis, Larimar would take care of traps and stealth; Bismuth would create a fortress; Peridot would work as a hacker. For people like Padparadscha, she would be useful in interrogations due to her ability to predict the past.

  
Old and new comrades felt excitement and dread course through their veins. Within 3 weeks, all plans would be put into execution to eliminate Zero Day and save Empire City once and for all.


	45. Questions and introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: one set between part 1. Steven and the Crystal Gems go to a DedSec meeting to introduce themselves. The gems also asks questions because they were curious on DedSec. This will be a long Q&A because a couple of questions.  
> For jacksepticeye fan

Saving a bunch of young adults who worked as hackers, defying authority for their own 'heroic' agenda was one thing.

Another different thing was getting to know them which the Gems didn't trust was a good idea. They were painfully aware of the magnitude of the situation they found themselves in.

First, their family vacations in Empire City ended up in tragedy because of an anonymous terrorist under the name of Zero Day, who orchestrated a horrible attack, and then Albion took this issue into their hands brutally. Many gems were incarcerated, tortured, and shattered, many protesters stopped violently, many rights were violated with the excuse of doing the extreme for the greater good.

Thank goodness Steven was with them at that time. The Crystal Gems wouldn't know what to do if something had happened to him.

Second, DedSec's intervention. Kind of. They were trying to destroy some vigilante machines that resorted to brute force to enforce order, though some of the members of the group fell into an ambush.

Steven ran to help them, prompting the others to aid the teenager. 

All in all, this twist of fate led them to an unexpected and crazy option: join DedSec to restore peace and freedom in Empire City.

And here they were now. In the headquarters of the hacker collective. Pearl grimaced. Hopefully, those people weren't going to poison them or something to get information.

"Don't get paler than you are, ma'am. This isn't the Inquisition." Bagley, the AI of DedSec tried to lessen the tension with that quip at Pearl which she didn't appreciate at all.

"Although Bagley is right about the second part, sarcasm should be used once we have defeated those bastards, not while our lives are in peril and our plans are half-baked. Anyway, my name is Sitara." The woman extended her hand to Garnet who she guessed was the leader of the quartet.

The fusion shook the hacker's hand and then crossed her arms, waiting for the introduction.

"You must be wondering if joining us is an excellent asset to rid of Zero Day and Albion, or entering the cave of the wolf."

"If asking questions doesn't kill any of us, maybe we can find out," Amethyst replied with well-faked laid-backness.

"Alright then. Shoot."

"First comes first, what's the purpose of your group?" Garnet started.

"DedSec's sole mission is showing to the world the vulnerabilities and inconsistencies of multiple systems used by companies and corporations. They also fought against corporate greed and corruption. You can call the whole group activists, though we can get extreme when the time merits it."

"Are you rebels then?" Pearl inquired.

"Rebels, activists, anarchists, freedom fighters, troublemakers. We have a plethora of names, some of them are...quite colorful depending on whom we piss off." Sitara elaborated.

"Ok, question 2, Zero Day -who are they? Why did they attack?" Amethyst asked.

"A hacker terrorist group who is at the worst kind of odds with us. They had no qualms when it comes to getting what they want." Another voice responded.

Everyone turned their eyes to the man whose face was covered by a handkerchief. He wore shades and a cap.

"And you are..." Steven was greeted by the man with a hand raised relaxedly.

"Marcus Holloway. Another hacker." He then looked at his partners. "I heard our guests needed a bit summary about us and the enemy. Wanted to help."

"The more the better," Sitara replied. "Back on point. You have forgotten another group of idiots who are breathing our necks: Albion."

"Oh yeah, about them, what's their deal? They call themselves the protectors of order in Empire City, but all they have done is terrorizing innocents gems, attacking people who disagree with them, enforcing the law kind of illegally. No one can live safely with the new vigilance they have put in every street."

"Albion is a British military company whose operations and headquarters can be found in London. They replaced the Metropolitan Service Police due to Her Majesty's orders and started implementing ruthless methods to stop criminals. Though it focused more on gaining power with violence and terror. Albion possessed fighting drones, tracking systems, high-tech weaponry all for 'order restoration'. More like to feed on their egos, to be honest. And unfortunately, they are here now in your home. Just like Zero Day."

"Next question. How many members does DedSec have?" Garnet asked.

"9 members. Clara Lille, Bagley here, Marcus, Wrench, Josh, Connie Robinson, Mina, and Nancy. All of us, well, almost everyone, are hackers. Now it's OUR turn to ask, who are you?"

"You have to promise first that you won't tell anyone about us," The permafusion warned, still distrustful of the hackers.

"Don't worry, as of now, our options are pretty limited," Bagley answered sarcastically.

"What he tried but failed to say is that we have two enemies in common: Zero Day and Albion. And our priority is the same too: liberating Empire City. So, being at war against each other won't change anything. More like it will help our enemies to get more control over the city. Besides, you saved some of our members, which gave us an idea of what side you are on. No betrayals here." Marcus explained.

The quartet looked at each other, debating if giving them some info about them or not.

Steven encouraged his guardians with a smile to give this new alliance a chance before letting a reluctant Pearl speak.

"We are the Crystal Gems. Veteran protectors of planet Earth. I am Pearl. Here is Amethyst, Steven, and Garnet." The gem pointed to her friends. "As you see and have figured out, we aren't normal people. Well, we aren't humans. Except for Steven, though he is 50% human."

"50%?" Sitara's interest was piqued at that.

"Yeah, more like an inheritance." The teenager scratched the back of his neck before showing them both his gemstone and how he summoned his shield.

The shock could be felt from miles away.

"Typical question, though it will sound stupid because it's obvious, are you all aliens?" Asked Bagley.

"Gems. Or rock aliens, but that nickname is rude." Amethyst answered.

"Gems is an alien species of quasi-immortal, polymorphic sentient rocks. Our main abilities are shapeshifting, weapon-summoning, fusing with another gem. And depending on the gem you meet, you will find more powerful abilities."

"Impressive. But, what about weak points? After all, fighting Zero Day and Albion won't be easy, especially if you are fragile."

"We can survive in space. We don't need to eat, breathe, take a break like humans. We don't age or get sick either. However, our 'heart and brain' or main organ to speak clinically, is the gemstone embedded in our bodies. Mine, for example, is on my forehead." Pearl pointed to her gemstone. "Thanks to it, our bodies can emerge because, unlike humans, we don't have organs, nor blood. Our corporeal structure is made basically of hard-light layers upon layers."

"So, you are holograms?" Marcus queried.

"Exactly. Now, when a human is hit or is too weak to move, they faint. In the gem's case, when our bodies are stabbed, burned, or damaged seriously, they poof. Implode in particles of light and then our consciousness and bodies are sent back to the core of the gemstones to recover from injuries and gather strength. Reformation is the gem act of coming back from unconsciousness. Like waking up from a coma. Nonetheless, if the gemstone is cracked, our bodies will glitch, suffer severe alterations in many parts depending on how deep and big the crack is. And if a gem is shattered, then the gem herself is gone. Dead."

"What about you, kid?" Sitara questioned Steven.

"Well, I'm a hybrid. So, I have both things: blood and gemstone. But mine is much like a second stronger heart that if...taken from me... That won't be pretty..." Steven pushed back those haunting memories when White almost killed him.

Wow, too much information. DedSec has met some quite peculiar allies.

Who knew what else they were going to find out. And the Crystal Gems and Steven too.


	46. Operation Peaceful Coexistence: The meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: part 2 of We can get along where Greg introduces Steven and Connie to his friends? In other words, Steven and Connie officially meet Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Greg had a pretty good relationship with them as I mentioned. The Crystal Gems protect life on Earth.  
> I should also mention that Greg and the Crystal Gems show Steven and Connie where the other gems are. The gems have a hideout.  
> For ZenDramaFX

A comfortable place on Earth that a gem could call home was an odyssey at its best and a dive to Hell a la Divine Comedy at its worst.

After all, humanity didn't want anything to do with gems whether they were on man's side or not. Many rejections and protests to a dangerous number and level of violence due to the arrangement the gems made to start a new life on a planet they had initially invaded. Well, not all of them, but resentment was anything but logical.

Thankfully for the Crystal Gems, they had found an excellent 'point of meeting' as Pearl described in her 'professional voice' as Amethyst loved to call it.

A cave on the beach of Beach City. Secluded enough to not cause suspicion on hating-gems humans. Greg at first was worried because, for an alien species who pried themselves for being highly intelligent and develop amazing tech, a cave wasn't like the embodiment of enlightenment.

But that conclusion came from the outside glance of their home, not the inside. The interiors were much more polished and sophisticated. A pristine warp pad, elegant walls surrounding it, and a magic door with the symbol of the Crystal Gems that only the members could open with their gemstones. 

The most significant touch was the statue of Obsidian carved on the face of the cliff where the cave was located. And now you must be wondering why people hadn't suspected anything?

You may call it utter luck or fate protecting the Crystal Gems.

Anyway, the trip was half-finished, just 2 hours more and Steven and Connie could meet the Crystal Gems. Both teenagers were vibrating with excitement like kids waiting for Santa to deliver the gifts. 

The old man smiled. Amethyst would smile super big at having more friends to hang out with. About Pearl and Garnet, they would surely love the kids. He envisioned the many fun conversations between them, a sounding proof that humans and gems could get along instead of tearing each other apart.

"Do you think they will like me?" Connie asked, a bit nervous. "I mean, I don't know what to tell them to make a good impression."

"Count me in, I don't have any idea either. I just hope this plan works."

"Everything will be fine, kids. Pearl and the others will be so happy to meetcha. Just be yourselves and chillax, Amethyst tends to say that a lot."

The encouraging words of Steven's father lifted their moods, they relaxed and chatted about anything to fill the time. Especially their imaginary impressions of the Crystal Gems. 

\------------

Finally, Greg stopped at the fence that separated people from the colossal statue of Obsidian. Both Steven and Connie were in awe at the details and beauty of the piece of art.

"Alright, you two, remember what we talked about. Keep a low profile and act naturally."

The teenagers nodded, getting out of the car as if nothing were happening. Greg led them to a secret passage where the fence had a door installed. Again, it was sheer luck or fate that no one found out about it.

Greg picked some keys and opened the lock of the door, letting the youngsters enter first before following next and close it behind him.

They were so close. The trio kept walking until they were surprised by a 'Surprise!' yell typical of a birthday party.

3 gems, a fusion, a Pearl, and a short Amethyst grinned at them warmly. A table full of beverages and different kinds of snacks was behind them.

Steven and Connie's shock turned into huge, beaming smiles. They looked at each other, not believing what was happening until Amethyst launched to them and enveloped them in a bear hug.

"Welcome, little dudes!"

"Amethyst, be careful, you may break their bones," Pearl exclaimed motherly. Then glanced at Greg. "Oh, hello, Greg. Nice to see you again, was the trip comfortable."

"Long and a bit boring, but yeah comfortable, thanks."

"We're so glad you three are finally here," Garnet said while placing her hand on Steven and Connie's heads kindly.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it. The Crystal Gems! Dad has told me a lot about you, but seeing you now makes it much better."

"It's such a pleasure to meet all of you, ma'am. My name is Connie. I'll be so honored to hear all your stories, teachings, wisdom, absolutely anything."

Pearl chuckled fondly at the teenager's enthusiasm. "It's ok. There is no necessity for formalism. You can call me Pearl."

"I'm Amethyst. Fun queen."

"I am Garnet. It's nice to meet you." The fusion nodded. 

Greg beamed relaxedly, imagining the plethora of questions the kids would ask.

\----------

The party was a blast as Greg expected. Everyone was getting along nicely and giving ideas about how to approach the issue between gems and humans.

Pearl and Connie had become pretty close, both being so smart and ready to fight for what's right made them kindred spirits.

Amethyst loved making jokes that got a laugh from them, and Garnet gave them lessons about the basics of gems like powers, strengths, and weaknesses.

"So, as I was saying, a little meeting like this can show more people the chances of peace and friendship between both species. The only problem is how many would be willing to take the risk. I mean, I wasn't part of the hate-gem cult/community but a lot of kids my age are and their parents too." Connie commented.

"Yeah, even my Dad had trouble with people because they treat him as a traitor for being kind with gems. But meeting you is proof that not all are dangerous or evil." Steven still remembered the angry, dirty looks Greg was the victim of for advocate for good relationships with gems.

"Peace is a precious gift, but it is hard to make it real when the other side just wants to fight. Still, if there is something I've learned is that I wouldn't exist if it weren't for daring to create healthy coexistence." Garner showed them the gems on the palm of her hands. Both teenagers awed at the discovery.

"Yes. Two gems, Ruby and Sapphire, too different from each other, like sun and moon. But still, when they had the chance to get to know each other, something new and wonderful came from their union. Me."

The story about an aristocratic seer and a dutiful guard exploring the Earth together and falling in love, forgetting their differences, and finding common ground was like a godsend. As if a higher power told Steven and Connie this plan would work.

Because if two gems from different social classes could find love and happiness in each other and their relationship, then why not humans and gems too?


End file.
